A Heart's Wish
by ArtsyChick
Summary: Two years after Haru’s adventures in the Kingdom of Cats, Baron’s been missing his favorite human high schooler. So a client decides to help out. BaronxHaru.
1. Chapter 1

_Haru leaned forward, a wide grin plastered on her face. "Baron? Just for the record, I think I may have a little crush on you."_

_I smiled, and responded in kind. "Just for the record, I admire a young woman who speaks from the heart." I reached up and placed my hand on her cheek. "If you ever need us, you will always know where to find us again, and the Bureau's doors will be open for you, be it day or night." Turning around, I touched the brim of my hat. "Until then, trust yourself!" I jumped off the edge and landed on Toto's back as he swooped back down. _

_As we flew away, I heard her shout one last goodbye: "I'll miss you! Toto, Baron, and Fatso!"_

"_Fatso?! I heard that!"_

"_She's only telling the truth!"_

"_Shut up you birdbrain!_

"_Hey, don't give me the 'birdbrain' thing again, or I might accidentally drop you!"_

"_Shut up you birdbrain!"_

_While Toto and Muta bickered, a small smile spread across my face. I knew that I would miss her too._

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

In a little green and white house in a very small town, an orange and cream-colored cat sat at a desk, tapping his fingers on the wood. His other hand balanced his chin as he sat in deep thought. He started to reach for the feather pen in the inkpot when his hand tensed, and he flopped it back down and went back to tapping his fingers.

He was bored. No, he was _very _bored. A thought not involving a certain high school student with short brown hair and big brown eyes hadn't crossed his mind in… well, even he had lost track of the days.

As he sat at his desk, a large white cat pushed through the double doors and strolled into the spacious room. He walked over to the large cabinets lining the wall and began rummaging through them. The orange cat stopped tapping his fingers and laced them together. "Can I help you, Muta?" he asked, a hint of irritation tingeing his normally placid voice.

The fat cat grunted something as he pulled out a silver-covered plate. He set it down on the table, lifted the lid, and greedily licked his lips as his eyes fell upon a still-steaming apple pie. "Wanna piece?" he asked.

The orange cat sighed, but he nodded in defeat. The white cat reached for a knife and cut two pieces out of the pie, one significantly larger than the other. He then handed a plate to his friend before flopping down on a red loveseat.

The orange cat sat in his armchair, the plate resting on his lap as he watched his friend gorge himself on the pie. As he did, his mind wandered, and he didn't hear his friend when he started talking to him again. "I'm sorry Muta, could you repeat that?" he asked, moving his plate to a small table and rubbing his temples.

Muta sighed, then reached over and picked up the other cat's plate. "I asked if you had any whipped cream 'round here," he said, digging into the slice of pie. "Jeez Baron, what's got you so out of it? I haven't seen you this googly-eyed since Lou—"

"Please leave her out of this," he said, closing his eyes. "And there is some whipped cream on the upper right shelf in the blue cupboard."

Muta stood up and walked to the cupboard, extracting the bowl and ladling a generous spoonful onto the rest of the pie. "You know, ever since we got back from the Cat Kingdom, you've been out of it," he said, jabbing the spoon in Baron's direction.

Baron sighed, continuing to rub his temples. "I know," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

The fact was, he _did _know. Ever since his adventures in the Cat Kingdom, his thoughts were constantly wandering to a certain teenage brunette, and no matter how hard he tried to distract himself, he couldn't keep her out of his mind. And, honestly, he was starting to get used to it, the whole daydreaming thing.

Despite being as smart as he was, Baron still couldn't figure out why the brown-eyed girl kept invading his thoughts, but it certainly didn't help matters when even his own friends could read his thoughts.

Suddenly, there was a loud banging from outside, so Baron pulled himself up and walked briskly to the door. As soon as he swung it open, a young woman with daffodil-yellow hair fell into the cat's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh Baron, it's _awful_, simply _dreadful_!" she cried, clinging to his vest.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Baron carried the woman over to his armchair and gently set her down in it, careful not to crush the glittering yellow wings protruding from her backside.

"Now now Belinda, calm down," he said, offering her his handkerchief. "Take a deep breath and relax."

Belinda dabbed at her eyes with the cloth and took in a shaky breath. Baron smiled and patted her shoulder. "There you go," he murmured. "Now, would like some tea and pie? I think there's still a slice left."

"W-W-What kind of pie," she asked, her lower lip quivering.

"Apple."

"A-And do you have any h-h-honey?"

His smile widened. "I do."

She nodded. "I'd like that very much," she said."

Baron nodded before standing up and walking to the stove to brew a kettle of tea, handing a clean fork to Muta, who was grudgingly handing over the rest of his pie.

As Baron poured two cups of tea (Muta had said he wasn't interested in drinking boiled grass), he found a jar of honey next to a pitcher of milk, and his mind drifted back to when _she_ had drank tea in his little house…

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

_I strolled over to a cabinet and pulled open the doors. "Milk with your tea, or lemon…?"I asked, reaching in for two teacups._

_Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her face instantly brighten. "Milk please!" she chirped, and I heard one of the doors click shut as she tried to crawl through._

_Smiling behind the doors as I poured the tea, I replied, "Good choice."_

_As I added her milk, I watched Haru reach behind her and carefully push herself through, careful because she wasn't trying to tear the door off its hinges. Once she was inside, she rose to her feet. Apparently she was admiring the room, because I heard her give a soft 'ooh' before murmuring, "You have great taste Baron."_

_She was about to sit down on an old green chest when I handed her the teacup. "Here you are."_

_She grinned, smoothed out her skirt, and sat down before taking the cup from my hands. "Thank you," she said, and I couldn't help but smile at her. She really was a fetching one._

_Haru giggled as she looked at the cup. "How cute," she said._

_I turned to her again. "That's my own personal blend of tea," I said. "It's a little different each time, so I can't guarantee the taste."_

_She raised the cup with her thumb and forefinger, looking at the miniature cup before bringing it to her lips and swallowing it all before I even finished speaking._

_At first, she looked surprised, and I was afraid it had been a bad batch. I was afraid she would resent me and my kindness would be for naught, but then her eyes widened and she leaned back. "Wow, that's the best tea I've ever tasted."_

_I couldn't stop the small smile from spreading across my face. "Then you're lucky."_

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Quickly shaking his head, Baron carried the two teacups over, handing one to Belinda before taking a seat next to Muta. She took a large gulp of her tea, closing her eyes as she did so and happily sighing as she licked her lips. "Ah Baron, your tea is as yummy as ever," she said dreamily, and Baron smiled as he took a sip of his own cup.

"So, Chicky," Muta said, using his nickname for anyone of the opposite gender, "what's got your panties in a twist?"

Baron closed his eyes, his whiskers twitching, and whacked Muta soundly upside the head.

"Oooooww! What was that for?!" the fat cat snarled, rubbing the spot where Baron had smacked him.

Baron took another sip of his tea, his whiskers still twitching. "Muta, that is no way to address a lady," he answered, turning his eyes to glare at the larger cat, "especially one in need."

Muta grumbled something very unflattering concerning Baron's mother (though, being a doll, he has no parents), but Baron chose to ignore him. Instead, he placed his empty cup on the table in front of him and laced his fingers together. "Belinda, would you care to explain why you're here?" he asked, turning his attention back to his latest client.

Belinda took another gulp of tea before setting the cup in her lap. "Well… I was in the Human World today, granting the cutest little girl her wish for a new doll for her upcoming birthday. She was at the Crossroads with her mother, doing some shopping in this quaint little flower shop. Anyway, after I granted her wish, I stopped inside the shop to pick up some honeysuckle and… and…" The woman burst into tears again and buried her face in her hands.

Muta rolled his eyes. The overweight cat was nowhere near as patient as Baron, who reached forward and gently rubbed her shoulder. "Now Belinda, you're all right," he said. "If you tell me what's wrong, we can solve your problem as soon as possible. What happened then?"

Belinda wiped her eyes and took a series of shallow breaths before finding her voice again. "I-I-I went inside, and I set my wand down for just a second. A-A-And when I looked back…" she sniffed, tears oozing out from her closed lids. "W-When I came back, my wand was gone!"

Inwardly, Baron sighed. This was not the first time the fairy ha lost her wand. Actually, ever two or three months, Belinda would show up on the cat doll's doorstep, bawling hysterically about how she set her wand down for just a moment, and when she looked to retrieve it, it would have mysteriously disappeared. And then Baron would have to retrace her footsteps, be it to a babbling brook, a grocery store, or a baby's stroller. But he always managed to find her wand, and she would squeal and embrace him, telling him how great he was and that she could always count on him and so on…

But afterward, the fairy would always try to thank him. Despite being very absentminded, Belinda's job _was_ to grant wishes, and she had become quite good at it. And of course, after saving her job once again, naturally she'd want to repay him, so she would always ask what he would like.

The trouble was, Baron never really wanted anything. Oh, sometimes he'd ask for a new book for his library, or a new cane when his was no longer straight, or a new tea kettle after Muta tried to make something called a fruit smoothie in his, but he knew they were superficial desires that would earn him a dejected look from Belinda when he'd ask for them. After all, her job, and specialty, was granting the heart's deepest desires, which she said dwelled in everyone's hearts, even stuffy old cat dolls. But Baron, being as humble, selfless, and completely clueless on his own heart's desires as he was, could never come up with anything more than a book or a tea kettle.

Baron was suddenly snapped back to reality as a large paw poked his side. "We gonna do this or what?" Muta asked gruffly, clearly still upset from the slap to his head earlier.

The cat figurine nodded before giving Belinda a gentle smile. "Of course we are," he replied calmly, standing up and striding over to his hat stand. "The Cat Bureau will always help anyone in need."

A glowing smile bloomed on Belinda's face as she set her cup on the table. "Oh Baron, you're absolutely wonderful," she said, admiration obvious in her tone. "How can I ever repay you?"

Because he was turned away from her, Baron rolled his eyes at the clichéd remark. "Well, I've been needing to get a new mattress for quite some time now..." he replied jokingly, pulling on his coat.

Belinda apparently didn't catch the teasing tone, because she, quite seriously, said, "Oh no, I am _not _granting you another practical wish."

Baron grinned as he placed his hat on top of his head. "Really?"

"Yes, _really_." Belinda stood up and walked over to him. "I'm tired of your wishes for new books and tea kettles."

He lifted his cane up and gripped the shaft in his gloved hands. "Are you?" He turned to walk to his door, but the yellow-haired fairy had stepped in his path. If Baron had eyebrows, one would be raised very high as he looked down into Belinda's gold irises, which were sparkling with determination.

"Yes," she said, poking him in the chest with a long, slender finger. "I swear that this time, I'm going to grant you your deepest, fondest wish."

"And how do you propose you do that?" he asked, clearly skeptical. "Even _I_ don't know what my fondest wish is."

Belinda raised a yellow eyebrow and gave the cat figurine a sly smile. "Oh, I have my ways Baron. Don't ever underestimate a fairy."

At that, Baron chuckled. "Are you going to remove my heart and ask it yourself?" he asked, amusement twinkling in his slanted jade eyes.

Belinda rolled her eyes. "Silly cat, if I did that it would kill you." Her irritation faded and was replaced with another mysterious smile. "But you're on the right track."

Deciding that deciphering Belinda's words would be far too much work, Baron sidled past her and headed for the door, Muta and the fairy right on his heels.

Once outside, Baron inhaled a lungful of fresh air and sighed. _At least I'll be busy for the rest of the day_, he thought, strolling toward the big archway that led to the entrance of the Human World.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

**A/N: **I know, I know, I still have to finish From the Heart, but I thought of this one day and, because I support BaronxHaru, I wanted to write a story to support them to. I'd also like to thank YarningChick; I've read so many of her stories that I became inspired. Tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

For the ones who've been wanting more.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

As Baron had expected, he found the wand stuck in a flowerpot, the humans obviously thinking it was some sort of decoration. Honestly, the fairy was lucky someone hadn't bought the thing.

When Belinda was reunited with her wand, she squealed with joy and threw her arms around Baron's neck, and Baron lightly patted her back as Muta rolled his eyes. "Oh thank you so much Baron!" she cried. "You totally saved me!"

"You're welcome Belinda," he replied, unable to be angry at the fairy. Even after all the trouble she'd caused him over the years, it still warmed his heart when he performed a good deed.

Wiping her eyes, she stepped back. "Okay, well, let's go someplace a bit more private." With a wink and a wave of her wand, the trio was showered with sparkles before they reappeared back at the refuge. "So," she folded her arms across her chest, her golden wand dangling from her hand, "what's your wish Baron?"

Dusting off his jacket, Baron shook his head. "Once again Belinda, I don't have one."

"Yes you do. Everyone does. Either you tell me," she stepped up and prodded him in the chest with her wand, "or I'll find out for myself."

"Then I wish you luck. Muta, Toto will take advantage of you if you lie in the open."

The large cat rolled from his back to his stomach. "Never again," he panted, pushing himself up with his front legs, only to slide back down. "I'd rather walk."

Baron smiled, then tipped his hat to Belinda. "Good day Belinda." He turned to walk to his house, but he almost collided into the yellow-haired fairy. She was angrily tapping her foot, her arms still folded as she glared at him.

"Give me your hand," she commanded.

"Belinda..."

"Just do it," she said irritably, holding out her own hand. Sighing, Baron switched his cane to the other hand and started to do as she said when she shook her head. "Gloves off."

Narrowing his eyes, Baron pulled the white glove off his right hand, exposing fur-covered fingers. Growing impatient, she reached forward and seized his hand in hers, knocking his top hat off with her wand. He started to protest, but she silenced him when she pressed her wand to his lips, so Baron had to relent.

"Close your eyes, and I want you to just let your mind wander. Don't think about anything particular, just... relax."

Baron closed his eyes and did as the fairy asked. He felt her squeeze his hand, and then a light pressure as she placed the star-shaped end of her wand onto the back of his hand.

So, Baron let his mind wander. He first thought about Belinda, and how silly and futile this was. But, after a moment, his mind drifted to someone else, someone with brown hair...

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

As I buttoned the teal cloak at my neck and secured the iron mask to my face, I peeked out, waiting for my opportunity. It came when the Cat King shouted, "Whoever's next better not stink, got it?!"

All the other performers took steps back, but I strode forward and stopped in front of the Royal table, and my heart skipped a beat.

Haru was dressed in a pale yellow gown; a frilly collar wrapped around her slender neck and split sleeves ran down her arms. On top of her head was a small crown in the shape of a fish. However, despite the initial awe that I hid so well, a grave feeling swept through my heart as I realized she was a light brown cat, complete with triangular ears and padded paws. Her dark brown hair hung loosely at her shoulders, much more flattering than her high ponytail. But perhaps what really broke my heart were the tears slithering down her furry cheeks.

"Your Majesty, I promise that I will make the young lady smile," I boldly proclaimed, standing my ground.

The King's advisor bent down and whispered, "Shall we try him?"

Smiling smugly, the King replied, "Sure. Why not?"

Taking that as my cue, I approached the crying princess. "Excuse me." She lifted her head at my voice, but it was clear in her eyes that she did not know who I was.

I held out my hand. "Would you… care to dance?"

She shook her head. "Oh no, I'm a meowsy dancer—oh!" She clapped her hand over her mouth. "No, now I'm even starting to talk like a cat!" she murmured anxiously.

I did not relent. Her eyes looked upward toward mine. Lowering my voice so the King couldn't hear, I murmured, "Just trust me."

As if in a trance, Haru slid her dainty paw into my outstretched hand, her brown eyes brimming with innocence and trust for me, and I gently led her around the table and to the floor. I guided her unsure hands to their proper positions: one on my shoulder, the other clasped tightly in mine. When the musicians began to play, I led her around the dining room, dancing in circles. I twirled her beneath my hand, threw her out and pulled her in, cradling her back as I took her into a dip. However, I kept my eyes carefully focused on her crown; couldn't have the King throwing me out for becoming too 'friendly' with his future daughter-in-law.

Out of the corner of my mask, I could see her staring at my face. She must have doubted her humanity for a moment, because she gasped as whiskers sprung out of her cheeks.

"Careful, Haru. Don't lose yourself." I twirled her around beneath my hand once more. "Believe in who you are." Replacing my hand on her lemon bodice, I tilted my head down so my eyes could finally meet hers, a smile spreading across my mouth. "I said so before, didn't I?"

She gasped, her mouth formed into a small 'o'. "Then you must be—"She lowered her voice and, in a childlike manner, she asked, "Baron?"

I winked in response, and her eyes lost their glaze and brightened once more to their brilliant selves. However, our dance was cut short and the music screeched to a halt when the King shouted, "Stop right there pal!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

A jolt of electricity shot through Baron's fingers, spread to all of his limbs, and a croaked yowl escaped his lips as he jerked his hand away. "What was that?" he asked, gaping in astonishment at the singed fur on the back of his hand.

Belinda blew the smoke away from her wand. "Don't worry, it only hurts for a few minutes," she said, polishing the end on her blouse and dodging his question. When she was satisfied her wand was clean, she grinned almost wickedly. "But now I know your wish."

Narrowing his eyes, Baron rubbed the back of his hand, breathing through his mouth to avoid the scent of burned hair.

He didn't like that smile. It usually meant she had a 'lightbulb moment', as she called it, that the world could surely do without. Frankly, her little 'moments' had landed him with worse than electric shocks and scorched hands.

Suddenly serious, Belinda knelt down and picked up his top hat. Dusting off the white silk, she held the hat to her chest and whispered, "Do you trust me?"

Did he? She was a good fairy, after all, with a kind heart and a desire to help others. That was her job. And none of her half-brain schemes nor sob-story performances could change that.

"Yes."

She chewed her lip. "With all your heart?"

"I always have."

"Say it."

He sighed. "I trust you with all my heart, Belinda."

Her smile returned, though it was much softer this time. Waving her wand through the air, she cast her spell:

"_With a wave of the wand and flick of the wrist,_

_Grant this selfless cat his wish."_

Baron, expecting the wand to lightly touch his forehead, as it always had, was surprised when he found gold sparkles raining down into his fur, coating him in gold, and her voice resounded in his acute ears.

"_Blonde hair, green eyes,_

_A heart with a steady beat._

_Seven days and true love's kiss_

_Will make this transformation complete."_

Baron's skin tingled almost pleasantly as he felt the sparkles harden and meld together to form a casing of gold. Tiny pinpricks throughout his body became hard jabs, but he clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, an attempt to block out the pain.

He couldn't remember her spells being this painful. Come to think of it, he didn't even recognize her chant.

What did she mean about the blonde hair and green eyes? Would her spell take one week to come into effect? And true love's kiss... What did that mean? From experience, he knew it wasn't real. It was a myth, a fairy tale, something that simply did not exist in reality. True love's kiss indeed.

After a moment, the pain faded away, and Baron blinked several times, and saw that Belinda had her wand pressed into his chest, where his heart was located, but when he opened his eyes, she pulled it away.

She then clapped her hands together. "Well, my work here is done," she said brightly, turning to go. Before she could, Baron took a fistful of her dress. She turned back around and looked into his steely green eyes. "Can I help you?"

"That's it?" he asked dubiously.

She nodded. "That's it."

"But nothing happened."

Smiling, she tapped him lightly on the chest. "That's the best part." Prying his fingers from her dress, she fluttered her wings a little and stepped back. "The thing about wishes based on a heart's desire is that they take a while to come into effect," she explained, tapping the star of her wand in her hand, filling her palm with gold glitter. "Yours will show up around tomorrow morning, give or take a few hours, you know. Oh! I almost forgot!" She tapped his hat once, and the silk, cream-colored band around it turned brilliant red, even more vibrant than his maroon vest. "You'll thank me later. Well, I have to go. I'll see you around, Baron."

He waved, and she threw the glitter into the air, showering herself in the sparkles, then she was gone in a dazzling array of lights.

Fingering the new red band, Baron shook his head and strolled toward his house, poking Muta's snoring form with the toe of his foot. He stepped inside, hung his hat, coat, and cane on his rack, grabbed an apple, and trudged upstairs. Belinda always took so much energy out of him that he could hardly keep his eyes open.

Slipping his feet out of his shoes and unbuttoning his vest, he crashed onto his bed. The apple rolled out of his hand, and before he knew it he was out like a light, dreaming of dancing the night away with a beautiful girl with dark eyes in a yellow dress.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	3. Chapter 3

_Baron was wrapped up in Haru's arms as they lay together on a gauzy cloud. The sweet brunette stroked his ear as the cloud drifted lazily through the night sky. If he reached out, he could touch the stars._

"_I missed you Baron," she murmured, nuzzling her cheek against the top of his head. He reached up and fingered her silky hair, twirling the strands in his gloveless hand._

"_And I you, my dear," he whispered back, taking his free hand and entwining their fingers together. It felt strange, but in a good way, to slip his furry fingers in between her naked ones._

"_Do you love me Baron?"_

"_You know I do." He smiled, mumbled to himself, "I always have."_

"_Then you won't mind if I do this, will you?" His lovely brunette placed a slender hand against his cheek, and she bent forward until he was gazing into her chocolate brown eyes. Leaning further, he felt her sweet breath on his lips and the tip of her delicate nose brush his chin, and their lips were just about to connect…_

"_Hi Baron!" a voice, significantly higher in pitch than his Haru's, said. Not entirely suppressing his groan, Baron opened his eyes to find the innocent brown pair replaced with irises that glittered gold instead. _

"_Belinda," he grumbled as her daffodil strands tickled his throat. "Can't we have this meeting later? I was with Haru…"_

"_Haru this, and Haru that. Haru, Haru, Haru," Belinda repeated mockingly, her expression dark as the light faded from her eyes. "All you ever think about is Haru." Her head disappeared from his view, and behind him he felt her shifting around. "Fine then. I understand how it is."_

"_Understand how what is?" Baron asked slowly, afraid to hold still but equally afraid to move._

"_Don't play dumb!" she snapped as she wiggled one leg free from beneath his back. "I understand how you feel." Her other leg came free, and Baron was now only being supported by spindly arms. However, he couldn't sit up and thus was forced to listen to the irritated fairy's tirade._

"_I'm afraid I don't follow…"_

_Belinda cut him off. "I understand that you're going to choose some human over the fairy you promised your hand to fifty-two years ago."_

"_What?!" Belinda chose that moment to remove her hands, and Baron suddenly tumbled headfirst through the cloud. "That's what you get you lousy two-timer!" she screamed down at him through the hole. "So stay out!"_

_All the while Baron was falling what seemed like thousands of feet, he heard the distant echo of evil cackling and the faint words to a song:_

"_Baron and Haru, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a kitty in a baby carriage!"_

_It was at that moment Baron's worst fear was realized._

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	4. Chapter 4

Freaked you guys out with the last chapter, hmm? Let me know if this one freaks you out too :)

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Baron sat up with a jolt and a small yelp escaped his lips. Trembling, he took several deep breaths, trying desperately to get the painful throbbing of his heart to slow down.

"It was just a dream," he mumbled, closing his eyes and passing a hand over his head.

He paused, then dragged his fingers through his fur again. Was his fur always that long?

No, of course not. The rush of adrenaline was messing with his mind he rationalized. His nerves were just shaken, that was all.

Although… he was almost _positive_ his head fur wasn't that long. His heart thudding for a different reason, he repeated the action. It felt different too, a little softer than his fur normally was…

"No," he said firmly, shaking his head. _Nothing_ was wrong. Belinda had just botched another spell, like she always did.

So why, when he shook his head, did tufts of fur brush his cheeks?

Baron's vision cleared, and he realized he was outside on a mattress. That explained the chilly air icing his skin…

Wait. _Skin_?

He leaped out of his bed, then immediately regretted it as his head threatened to spin off its axis. Pressing a clammy hand to his forehead, he groped blindly in the dark until his hand closed around a pole. Breathing heavily, his heartbeat erratic, Baron tried frantically to organize his thoughts.

He was outside. His head fur was longer. He had skin. His skin was cold.

Laughing nervously, hoping it was a nightmare and he would suddenly sit up in his warm bed inside his house, he let his knees buckle and collapsed to the mattress. With quivering hands, he gripped strands of fur on his head and discovered he could pull them to eyelevel. The strands were thinner than normal, and shimmered gold in the lightening sky.

Baron ran his hands over his head again, his movements unrestricted by pointed ears. He soon learned they had trailed down the sides of his head and were much smaller.

Closing his eyes, the hands drifted to his face and explored feverishly. Everything had changed. His nose was pointier and stuck out more, and his mouth was framed by plush, fleshy lips. His eyes were even a different shape. Smaller, and rounder, with tiny hairs growing out his eyelids. And… he had eyebrows. He'd never had eyebrows before.

Sweat trickled down his temples, and Baron was shocked that he could actually _feel_ each individual rivulet as they slithered down and pooled in the dips of his neck.

Further down, across his collarbone and bare chest, he noted that, except for a smattering of coarser hair, his fur had completely vanished. _This_ was not good.

His bare skin ended at his waist, where fuzzy fabric began. All the way down his slender legs, where the cloth ended and bunched at the top of his naked feet. Glancing down through cracked eyelids, he uncertainly curled the five toes he had on the end of his right foot. They cracked painfully.

Then he screamed.

"What have you _done_ to me Belinda?!" he cried, clutching chunks of golden hair as his eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.

"What happened?! What's going on?!" Muta burst out the double doors of Baron's house and tumbled to the cobblestones, still half asleep. He pushed himself up and looked around until his eyes fell on Baron. Blinking several times, he clambered to his feet and hissed. "Who're you? Whadda ya want?"

"Muta it's _me_! Baron!" Baron protested.

The overweight feline crept over to him and poked his chest with a chubby paw. Baron winced as a claw came into contact with his flesh. Setting his front legs on Baron's thighs, Muta elevated himself until he was staring into Baron's slightly surprised green eyes. After a moment, the cat blinked, glanced side to side, then whispered, "Is that really you, Baron?"

"I swear on the angel food cake in my cupboard," he said solemnly, crossing his heart.

Muta hopped down and began circling him. "Hey Birdbrain, get down here!" he shouted at the stone pole Baron was still clinging to. The stone crow posed on the top glowed briefly before the rock melted away and a real crow stretched his wings. "What do you want Piggy Cat?" he said, glancing down from his perch. "Couldn't you see I was sleeping?"

"Get your feathery butt down here!" Muta snarled at the bird. "We have bigger problems than your beauty sleep."

The crow cocked his head. "No kidding," he remarked snidely

"What'd you say Birdbrain?!" Muta snarled. "Why don't you say that to my face?!"

"What? That you're a fat pig of a cat?" Muta's face turned purple as he hissed lividly at the bird and stuck up his paws.

"Muta! Toto!" Baron cried, losing patience with the two animals and their constant, endless battles. He was in serious trouble here! Didn't that matter?

Toto tore his attention away from the cat and looked to his distraught friend. "Oh my," he murmured before flying to Baron's house and entering through the balcony doors. He returned shortly, a hunk of shiny metal clutched in his beak. He fluttered over to Baron and dropped it in his palm. "What's Belinda done to you this time?"

Baron didn't hear him. Lifting the tiny mirror in his unusually large hands to his eyes, he gazed at his reflection.

It was exactly as he suspected. The golden hair, the rounded ears, the plush lips, the almond-shaped eyes. Once he got over the initial awe at his strangeness, he screamed.

"Belindaaaaa!!" he shouted, hurling the mirror across the square, causing Muta to flop to his belly to avoid it.

There was a crack, a burst of light, then the three were showered in glitter before the daffodil-haired fairy appeared before them. _At a time like this, she's still unbelievably flamboyant_, Baron thought bitterly.

Belinda yawned and fluttered her sparkly wings. "Jeez Baron, it's five in the morning," she grumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "I'm not due to get up for _at least_ three more hours."

"This is rather _important_," he hissed angrily, clenching his teeth.

The fairy blinked, then smiled brightly. "Oh, so you got your wish!"

"This is _not_ my wish!" Baron protested, rising on his shaky legs to jab a finger in her direction. "Why would I _ever_ want to be a _human_?!" Then Baron did something he never thought he would do.

He swore. Colorfully.

Being the bookworm he was, Baron had come across curse words many times over the years, yet he had never repeated them. Now he proceeded to mutter every one he knew, throwing in a few he wasn't so sure about for good measure.

After he finished, Muta, Toto, and Belinda gazed at him incredulously, and Belinda murmured, "Wow."

"Sorry," he grumbled, shoving his thick blonde hair out of his eyes. "Just change me back and—"

"I can't." The three turned to stare at her, but she shrugged. "Sorry Baron, there's nothing I can do."

"What do you mean?" Toto asked quickly, before Baron could start screaming, or swearing, again.

"I mean that I can't do anything," she said, folding her arms. "The spell's been cast, it's out of my control now."

"Are ya sure Chicky?" Muta glanced at the former half-cat and took a step back. "I don't think you should leave him like this."

"Well, he has no choice. He's stuck like that for a week."

As the news sunk in, Baron sank to his knees and let his head fall forward in defeat. Belinda sighed and flitted to his shoulder. "It won't be that bad Baron," she murmured, smoothing down his tousled hair. "Why don't you find that… that Haru girl?"

His head shot up. "Haru?"

"Yeah, isn't she a human?" He nodded. "Why don't you go find her, and hang out with her for a week, hmm? It's better than staying _here_ for seven days. You can't even fit into your house." She smiled slightly. "Come on, what've you got to lose?"

Baron considered his options briefly.

He could stay here and mope for seven days. Or he could leave the Refuge, find Haru, and spend those seven days with her. He _did_ miss her…

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

"_You're not from my kingdom, are you?" the Cat King snarled accusingly to my backside, our dance ended prematurely. "Exactly _who_ are _you_?!"_

"_How rude of me. I should've introduced myself." Gazing into her innocent brown orbs, I casually tossed my feathered hat to the floor. "I am exactly who I appear to be." Reaching up, I pried the metal mask away and held it in my fingers__. __Her mouth formed a small 'o' of surprise, and I smiled warmly down at her.__Then I spun around. "I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, and I have come for Haru!" I announced to the court._

"_Baron!" she cried, obviously relieved as she threw her arms around my neck. _

"_He's so cool!" a brown cat with floppy ears exclaimed. Inwardly I rolled my eyes. _

"_He _is_ handsome," the king's advisor said to His Majesty._

_Perhaps that was a mistake on the advisor's part, because the king became very angry. "He can't have her!" he cried. " Seize them!" Guards appeared from behind the curtains and stalked toward Haru and I. I wrapped my cloak protectively around her as they approached._

_One of the guards hurled several shuriken at us. Whipping my cloak back, I threw my mask. It knocked the shuriken away and easily sliced the handles off axes and spears before cracking a giant glass bowl containing violet jelly and my overweight companion. The jelly slithered out of the jar, taking Muta along with it, until he lay sprawled on the floor. "Oh, I'm stuffed!" he groaned. The poor maids standing beside the jar shrieked and dashed off._

_I wound my arms around Haru's waist again, prepared to shield her with my body if necessary.__Tears welled up in her eyes as she choked out, "Muta? You're still alive!"_

_Distracted for a moment, the guards charged toward him. Muttering under his breath, Muta climbed out of the gelatinous goo and turned to run. The noise volume in the room increased, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye the king being dragged away and the royal guests fleeing out a back door._

_A spear was aimed straight for us, but I sidestepped it and it plunged into the floor. Several more struck alarmingly close, but I guided Haru's feet and we dodged them. Grabbing her hands, we climbed onto one of the tables and stood, her paws bunched in my tunic, as guards, wielding many unfriendly weapons, surrounded us. Just when I was sure I was going to have to take a bullet… er, stab… for Haru, Muta stumbled over and collapsed on the guards._

"_Great technique Muta," Haru said, smiling. I grinned as well as he clambered to his feet._

_"I just lost my balance," he replied flatly, stretching backward._

"_Over here!" We turned, and saw a white cat crouched behind the table. She beckoned to us, so we hopped down. _

"_Yuki you're here!" Haru murmured happily to the cat._

_The cat, Yuki, pulled off her maid's hat and held it in her paws. "I'm so thankful you were able to help Miss Haru, Baron," she said to me. _

_I furrowed my brow, and thought a moment, but I couldn't place a name to her face. "Do we know each other?" I finally asked. _

"_Many of us here know of you and your Bureau," she answered. _

"_Oh Yuki, I'm such an idiot! I should've left when you told me to," Haru moaned. "Now look at me." She touched her furry ears._

"_Listen!" Yuki said, bringing Haru out of her depression. "If you leave by dawn you can still turn back into a human!"_

_Haru's eyes lit up. "I will?"_

_Yuki crawled over and pulled a handle on the legs of the table, revealing a secret door. "This will get you out of the castle."_

_Haru gasped, then paused and turned to me. "Wait, where's Muta?"_

_I peeked up over the table and gazed around the room, allowing enough space for Haru to slide past me and over to the secret exit. Muta was currently swinging from a chain stuck in the ceiling as guards ran around underneath him, swinging their weapons at his back legs._

_Well, he wasn't dead yet, and he certainly wasn't the one changing species. I ducked back down and glanced toward my half-feline ward. _

_Haru looked so sad, yet at the same time incredibly determined. I smiled inwardly, knowingly, amazed at her fortitude. As she slipped out of her elaborate ball gown, she glanced back at me for an answer to her previous question._

_"He'll be fine," I said confidently. " We just need to get you home."_

_She nodded, believing me. At that moment, as her tail disappeared down the shaft, I vowed that I would restore this brave girl back to her true form. No matter what._

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

He made his decision. Belinda was right; what _did_ he have to lose?

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	5. Chapter 5

Baron turned the map left, then tilted it right. However, no matter which way he looked at it, he still couldn't figure out where Haru lived.

Once he'd made the decision to find Haru, Belinda had given him a duffel bag with "anything a young man could possibly want or need" and a slip of paper with Haru's address on it.

He frowned at the paper, then tugged on his collar. Belinda had also provided new, 'trendy' clothes for him to wear, but the shirt was unbearably itchy against his bare neck. He longed for the soft cotton of his suit, but Belinda refused to give him one.

"You'll stick out like a sore thumb," she'd said. "Someone might mistake you for an escapee from a mental hospital, or something."

He'd read about those. They were certainly places he _never_ intended to visit.

He just couldn't figure out this map! It wasn't that Baron was incapable of understanding one, but the map he'd purchased (the one thing Belinda had _forgotten_ to provide) had so much ink on it he could barely distinguish streets from words.

Sighing with frustration, Baron collapsed on a bench and let his head fall back. Really, finding one girl shouldn't have been _that_ difficult. He'd certainly accomplished harder tasks. He found the entrance to the Cat Kingdom, survived the eccentricities of the Cat King, and rescued the same girl from multiple dangers. Why was a _map_ giving him so much—

"Excuse me?"

Baron brought his head forward and opened his eyes. A woman pushing a baby stroller had stopped in front of him, her dark eyes gazing at him with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked, wrinkles forming on her brow.

Baron quickly nodded. "Oh no, I'm fine," he replied, grinning. "I'm just a little lost is all."

"Oh? Maybe I can help," she said, brightening. "I know Tokyo like the back of my hand."

"Really? Well…" He reached into his pocket and dug out the slip of paper with Haru's address scrawled on it. "I'm trying to find this address," he said, handing the woman the paper.

She glanced at the address, then smiled. "I know where this is! My sister lives in that neighborhood. If you'd like, I can show you the way."

"Oh no, I don't want to trouble you. If you just give me the directions, I can find it just fine."

"Nonsense! I can take you. I was heading that way anyway."

"If you're sure…"

"It's no big deal, really." The woman extended her hand. "I'm Akiko by the way."

He grasped her hand and shook it, surprised at the sensation of bare skin touching bare skin, and the way his hand engulfed hers. Normally it was _his_ hand that was dwarfed.

"Do you have a name too?" she asked after he'd gripped her hand longer than is customary.

"I'm…" He racked his brain for a name. He liked this woman, but was still a little uneasy about giving her his real name.

He recalled the last book he'd read, before Belinda had showed up and tampered with his very existence. The author's name floated back to mind… Hans was too strange, but maybe…

"I'm Christian," he answered, releasing Akiko's hand. "I appreciate your assistance."

Akiko waved her hand. "Don't even worry about it," she replied, her cheeks tinged pink.

Baron shouldered his bag and stood. Another oddity: he _towered_ over Akiko. The only person he _ever_ towered over was Belinda. Inwardly shaking his head, he fell into step beside the woman and they headed down the sidewalk.

"So, where are you from?" Akiko asked after a moment.

"Oh, England," he replied. Belinda had once told him that he had a British accent, despite his German-sounding name.

"London?"

"Yes."

"Wow." Akiko sighed. "I've never even been outside of Tokyo." Her sadness only lasted a moment before she brightened again. "So, who's at this address? It's a completely residential area. A friend, maybe…?"

Baron felt his cheeks go warm. "Yes, a friend of a friend actually. I met her… _him_, a few years ago and we decided to get together again."

"Oh." The woman raised her eyebrows. "A _him_, huh? Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then how come your cheeks are red?"

Baron immediately stiffened, restraining from touching his face. Instead, his eyes glanced around frantically for something to distract her. They fell to the baby stroller.

"Is this your baby?" he asked, looking down pointedly at the white stroller, decorated in tiny pastel flowers.

"Oh, yeah!" Akiko's dark eyes lit up excitedly. "You wanna see her?"

Before he could answer however, Akiko had already stopped and was leaning over the stroller. He peered around her as she lifted out a yellow bundle and cradled it in her arms. She pulled back a corner, and Baron was gazing into the round little face of a sleepy baby. She wriggled around in her mother's arms and opened her liquid eyes. Her tiny lashes fanned out on her cheeks as she blinked before opening her little pink mouth and yawning.

Baron's heart melted. "What's her name?" he asked softly, reaching out to brush a finger against her soft cheek.

"Kaoru," Akiko murmured. "My husband and I love her to pieces. She looks just like him, too."

Electricity shot through his arm and out his fingers, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He jerked his hand back to his side as his heartbeat turned erratic. The nightmare from the night before flooded his head as Akiko's words echoed in his brain, and he had to grab onto the stroller's handle before his knees gave out.

Akiko shifted her baby around in her arms as she reached out to touch his arm. "Are you okay?" she asked as her brow creased again. Baron flinched at her touch.

"I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile as he straightened. "Please, don't worry."

"Are you sure?" She carefully tucked the baby back into the stroller as she eyed him suspiciously. "You looked ready to faint."

"Really, I'm fine," he continued, striding forward. However, Akiko had to grab his shoulder and steer him around a mailbox he almost walked into.

They continued in an awkward silence, Akiko keeping a gentle hold of his shirt as Baron walked unseeingly down the sidewalk, desperately trying to push images of kittens with long head fur and dark eyes out of his head.

After another block and a half, they stopped in front of a little white house with a strands of ivy beginning to creep up the gutter, and pink and yellow flowers poking up around the concrete stepping stones. Akiko smiled as Baron gazed at the mailbox, softly tracing the characters painted on the tin.

"Well, I hope your reunion with your _friend_ goes well," Akiko said, turning to continue up the sidewalk.

"Wait!" She stopped and turned around. "Thank you, Miss Akiko," Baron said, bowing gracefully. Akiko giggled and gave a clumsy curtsy as Baron straightened. "Is there anything I can do for you, in return…?"

Akiko waved away his offer. "No, I don't need anything. That dreamy look in your eyes as you looked at the mailbox was thanks enough, really." She turned to go again. "Have fun!" And then she was walking away, the baby stroller bouncing slightly as she crossed the street and disappeared into a back alley.

Baron turned back to the little house. It was definitely hers. The characters on the mailbox made that clear enough. Carefully he stepped through the gate and went for the door. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his hand to the door and knocked one, two, three times. After a moment he heard footsteps, and the door was flung open. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he smiled.

"Hello Haru."

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	6. Chapter 6

Short, sweet, and to the point.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

_About twenty minutes earlier…_

A cacophony of noise erupted from the piano, frightening the little sparrows perched in the tree so bad they resolved to nest somewhere else.

Haru chewed the eraser of her pencil as she crumpled up her scales and threw them at the window, traumatizing the poor birds even more. Sighing with frustration, she stood up and walked to the center of the floor and laid down, face-up, on the carpet. Spitting out her pencil, she closed her eyes and began to rub her temples.

The room was beginning to resemble her bedroom. The large desk in the corner was so covered with papers, clothes, and other pieces of junk Haru had forgotten what color the stain was. A little silver trashcan overflowed and was oozing paper balls and pencil shavings. In another corner an easel with a blank canvas stood, surrounded by various paintbrushes and rolled-up tubes of paint. Piles of clothes concealed most of the carpet and the old, beautifully stained piano Haru was currently glowering at.

Something was wrong.

Haru remembered the day after her adventures with Baron Humbert von Gikkingen in the Cat Kingdom. She had been so… tired. It didn't seem like life could go on without Baron and Muta and Toto and Yuki. She hadn't wanted to get up that morning and face the day alone.

But she had. And she'd survived. And life had gone on.

She had signed up for an art class second semester of her senior year in high school, and had discovered she had a passion, and a talent, for it. She'd also done phenomenal in a self-defense course, since cute cat figurines weren't always going to be there to protect her. Dance lessons had lasted a couple of weeks before she and the instructor decided it was a lost cause, and she'd recently taken up piano lessons at her mother's urging. She was in college; she had a lot going for her; she was happy.

Then everything started to fall apart.

It first began on a typical morning when she took a sip of her special tea and promptly sprayed it across the newspaper. For reasons unknown, it had tasted awful, liquid hot and slimy as it attempted to slide down her throat. She had to dump the whole kettle down the drain.

The next day had been no better. Nor was the day after that, or the day after that. Eventually she had to go back to tea bags because every single pot she had blended tasted horrible.

Then her grades started to plummet. An A became a B+, then a B-, then a C-. Her GPA fell. Studying was impossible, and she froze up on tests.

Next to go was her inspiration. Page after page in her sketchbook wound up in the trashcan, and that one canvas had sat on the easel for a month now.

Now she was moody, irritable, and impatient. How had life gone from being so right to turning so wrong? But she thought she had finally pinpointed the reason for her misery.

Baron.

Not really Baron himself, but his memory. Haru missed him like crazy. She couldn't get him out of her head now. Day in and day out, all she could think about was the cat figurine.

The last words she said to him were what really haunted her. Why? Because she knew he didn't feel the same way back.

_Just for the record, I think I have a little crush on you._

It made her want to pull her hair out. What had she been thinking, saying that to him? There was no way Baron could ever feel that way about her. Haru's hand groped around on the floor for a second before her fingers closed around a pillow. She brought it up and pressed it to her face and groaned into the fabric. Why did things have to be so complicated?

A dull thudding sound echoed to her ears, and she threw the pillow away and sat up, rubbing her eyes. The thudding came again, and she realized it was someone knocking on the door, though she had no idea who could possibly be knocking.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she said tiredly, pulling herself to her feet and pushing her hair out of her eyes as she strolled over to the door. Slipping her hand onto the doorknob, she twisted the knob and pulled open the door.

Standing at her door was an incredibly handsome man with tousled golden hair and warm, jade-green eyes. Her voice failed her, and all she could do was stare. Funny, how she was just thinking about Baron and then…

Then the man smiled, and the warmth of his smile caused heat to rise in her cheeks and radiate outward, and suddenly her knees were weak and she gripped the frame of the door to keep herself from falling over.

But when he spoke, gripping the doorway proved not to be enough. "Hello Haru," he said genially, and memories of two years ago and mice in boxes and moving mazes and dancing cats and a white top hat whirred through her head so fast she became dizzy and the world began to tilt sideways. The last thing she saw before the world faded to black was the incredibly handsome man leaning forward to catch her in his arms.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	7. Chapter 7

Wow, wrote this one quick. And it's longer! A little BxH romance for ya'll ;p

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Baron wasn't quite sure what to do with the unconscious Haru in his arms, especially since his heart was pounding in his ears so loudly. After a moment he swung her up so he was carrying her bridal-style and sidled into the house. He glanced around and spotted a couch, strode over to it, brushed off the paint tubes, and gently laid her down on it. After a moment of hesitation, he sat on the edge of the cushion beside her and reached forward, tenderly brushing a lock of dark hair away from her eyes.

He'd imagined their reunion for so long—days had been entirely spent on it—and now that it was really happening, he was a little disappointed. There was supposed to have been tearful embracing, and happy catching-up, and perhaps a kiss or two… but Haru fainting was definitely _not_ part of his plan.

Then Haru opened her eyes, and Baron's heart started thumping again.

"Glad to see you're awake," he said softly, hoping she couldn't hear his frantic heartbeat. "You're lucky I was there to catch you, or that would have been quite a nasty fall."

Haru's eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at him. "Do… do I know you?" she murmured, reaching up to touch her forehead. "I… I think I do, but I'm not entirely sure. What's your name?"

"I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen," he responded, just like when they first met.

"Baron? No, _no_ way! There's no way!" Haru had sat up and was staring at him like he was crazy, and he'd leaned back in surprise. "Last time _I_ checked, the only Baron I know is a cat figurine."

"Well, yes, I _used_ to be," he explained. "This is just a temporary state I'm in because of a very stubborn fairy. I'll be back to myself in one week."

Haru narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How do I know you're _really_ Baron?"

This was an understandable conclusion to come to, Baron thought. She had never seen him as a human, and she had no reason to believe he was who he said he was. He shrugged. "Ask me something. Anything."

She pondered that for a moment. "Was I turned into a cat?" she asked finally, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes."

"What color was my fur?"

"Light brown, but your tail and ears were a slightly darker shade."

"Where do you work?"

"At the Cat Bureau."

Her arms remained folded, but her eyes had softened, as had her voice. "When we met, I asked if there was something I could do to help you. What did you say to me?"

Baron tilted his head and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling…

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

"_Thank you for your help, Moo-ta." Haru, realizing her mistake a hair too late, reached up and covered her mouth, but not before exclaiming, "Oh!"_

_Muta whirled around on the couch to glare at her. If Toto and I weren't used to it, it might have been frightening. "What? Moo? Are you saying that I'm a fat cow?"_

_Haru tried to fix her mistake. "No, you're just fat!" Unfortunately, she only succeeded in making it worse. "Oh!"_

_Behind her, Toto was cackling. "I like this girl more every minute!" Even I couldn't help but crack a smile. _

_Muta, fuming, stood up abruptly, puffing out his chest. "I'm outta here!"_

_I decided it was time to rescue Haru and make sure Muta didn't actually follow through with his threat. "That's too bad," I began, pretending to rub my chin thoughtfully, "because I was just going to get out some angel food cake I have in the cupboard."_

_Muta's chest sagged and he waddled off in the general direction of my cupboards. "Where in the cupboard?" he asked. _

"_Uh, it's in the upper right shelf," I answered, gesturing to the cupboard as I followed him. I had offered my angel food cake; I was not about to offer all the food in my house._

_Muta pulled open the cupboard doors, easily locating the cake, and he took out the silver platter I had placed it on. "Why didn't you say so?" he said, lifting up the cover and licking his lips greedily._

"_I think our guest deserves a proper afternoon tea," I replied, leaning forward to grab my pen and inkpot as Muta elbowed over a stack of books on my desk to make room for his precious angel food cake. Oh well, I could goad him into cleaning it up later._

"_This calls for some of my special mulberries," Toto said. I presumed he hopped out the balcony doors to go retrieve some of these special mulberries._

"_You're too much Baron," Haru said admiringly from behind me, "a tea party and everything? Is there anything I can do to help?"_

_She was such a dear. However, there wasn't much for a human to do to contribute, considering my house was doll-size to them. But, as I stood there, making sure Muta cut the pieces of the cake _evenly_, a thought occurred to me. "Hmm, yes, there is something," I said thoughtfully, striding toward her. She knelt down further so we were almost at eye-level, and I lifted up the fork I was holding, using it to emphasize my words. "What I need you to do is to learn just one thing: always believe in yourself. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear."_

_Haru nodded. "Mm-hmm," she said. _

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Baron tilted his head and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "I said… 'Always believe in yourself. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear.' " He smiled slightly. "Does that sound familiar to you, Miss Haru?"

Haru stared at him, completely speechless, then she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "Baron, I can't believe it's really you," she mumbled into his shirt. His hands hovered in the air above her shoulders, but after a moment they came to rest lightly on her back and he gulped, praying she couldn't feel how fast his heart was beating. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I… I've missed you too, Haru," he whispered, tightening his hold on her. She didn't seem to mind.

Their embrace lasted a few minutes longer; Haru was the one who finally pulled away. "Oh my gosh," she murmured, reaching up to brush back wisps of blonde hair that had fallen onto his forehead. Baron resisted the urge to close his eyes and purr at her touch. "I can't believe it's really you."

"It's really me, I assure you."

Haru tilted her head and smiled, and inwardly Baron melted. He'd forgotten how truly pretty she was when she smiled. "I'm being a terrible hostess. Would you like something to eat, or drink?"

As if in response to her question, Baron's stomach grumbled. He pressed a hand to his middle, embarrassed. Being an inanimate object, he'd never really felt hungry before, but now…

Haru laughed and her smile widened. "Here, I'll feed you," she said, getting up off the couch and offering him her hand.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me," he said quickly, standing up without her assistance. "I'll be fine. Perhaps you should lie down…"

She waved her hand as if dismissing the notion. "Oh, don't be silly Baron. I'm fine, really." She looked up at him. "You know, this is a little unnerving. You being taller than me and all."

"Sorry," he said. What else was he supposed to say? Haru smiled, and Baron melted all over again.

Haru led him into the kitchen and sat him down at a little table while she bustled around, opening and closing cabinets and assembling something on the counter. She filled a kettle and set it on the stove, tossing tealeaves and other herbs into it. When she was satisfied, she carried two sandwiches over to the table, set one in front of him, and seated herself across from him.

"So, tell me what's been going on since I left," Haru said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

Lifting the sandwich to his mouth, Baron shrugged, then he took a bite. "Nothing much, really. This is really good, by the way."

"Thanks. Then tell me how you ended up like…" She gestured at his body.

Baron took another bite. "The work of a misinformed fairy," he replied, frowning slightly. "I helped her find her wand, _again_, and she insisted upon granting me a wish, claiming that to be human was my 'heart's desire.' However, I believe her good intentions were a bit misguided." He sighed. "Now I'm stuck like this for a week."

"I see." The kettle whistled, and she stood up to get it. Pulling two ceramic mugs out of a cupboard, she poured the steaming tea into them. "Would you like anything with your tea, Baron?" she asked, looking up.

"Milk would be fine, thank you," he responded. She smiled, walked to her fridge, grabbed a milk carton and added a generous amount of the creamy liquid to both mugs. She carried them both over and set one before him before retaking her seat. Baron took a sip. It was divine. "This is splendid, Haru. I don't think I've ever had this blend."

"You probably haven't," she replied. "It's my own special blend. I kind of stole your idea." He shrugged. "Jeez, I haven't made it in ages." Sipping from her own mug, her eyes widened and she pulled it away from her lips. "And it hasn't actually _tasted_ good in ages either," she murmured.

"Pardon?" Baron asked, peeking at her over the lip of his mug. Now that he was human, his hearing wasn't nearly as good as when he was half-feline.

"What? Oh, nothing." She went back to drinking her tea, a curious look on her face. Baron thought it only made her look more adorable.

"So, what has been happening in your life since you left us, Haru?" Baron asked lightly, returning to his sandwich, secretly hoping there would be no mention of a significant other.

"Oh jeez, where do I start?" Haru started ticking off everything that happened on her fingers. "Well, I'm taking art classes now; apparently I'm good at it. And I took a couple self-defense classes, which were totally fun. I tried dancing lessons, but after a while no one wanted to be my partner. And now I'm taking piano lessons 'cause my mom said, 'Why not? You've tried everything else.' And so," she swept her arms out, "here I am."

"Sounds like you've accomplished quite a lot since last time we saw each other."

Haru's ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, I had a lot of free time in those two years, eight months…"

"Four and a half days," Baron automatically finished. He paused, his eyes widening, and he looked up to meet Haru's gaze. Immediately, they both looked away, Baron's cheeks growing hot. "Not that I've been counting," he mumbled, pretending to be absorbed in his swirling tea.

"Oh, well, um…" They fell into awkward silence, and for a moment there was only the sounds of a bird twittering outside the kitchen window. "Hey, Baron?"

"Yes?" He lifted his head, perhaps a bit too eagerly, and willed his heart to slow down.

"I was wondering if, maybe… could I sketch you?" Haru fingered her skirt sheepishly. "It's just… I haven't had inspiration in a while, and I thought, maybe, sketching something new might help." She shyly lifted her bright, brown eyes up to meet his, and he gulped. "Of course, you don't have to—" she said quickly, misconstruing his gulp for one of unwillingness, not nerves.

"No no, I wouldn't mind at all Haru," he said. "Of course you can sketch me." He smiled brightly, and Haru eagerly returned the grin.

"Great! Wanna do it now?" she asked, although she'd already grabbed his hand and was leading him back out to the living room. Seating him on the couch, she practically sprinted off down a hallway and just as quickly returned, clutching a sketchbook and several pencils to her chest. "Okay, now…" She reached forward, took his chin in her hand and gently turned it to the right. "There. Perfect. Don't move."

Since he couldn't move his head, Baron's eyes wandered aimlessly around the room, mostly in an effort to not focus on the lovely young woman seated inches away from him. He thought girls were supposed to be tidy; then again, this _was_ Haru, and he knew she was a bit of a scatterbrain.

The large desk in the corner was completely covered with papers, clothes, and other pieces of junk. A little silver trashcan beside the desk overflowed and was oozing paper balls and pencil shavings. In another corner an easel with a blank canvas stood, surrounded by various paintbrushes and rolled-up tubes of paint. Piles of clothes concealed most of the carpet and an old, beautifully engraved piano. Despite being a little cluttered, it was… nice.

Baron remained perfectly still for forty-two minutes (he'd begun counting) while Haru sketched him. It wasn't entirely difficult; being a cat figurine by nature, he'd had plenty of practice standing perfectly still for hours on end. Besides, this way he got to gaze at her lovely face and not feel like he was gawking at her. After forty-two minutes and thirty seconds, Haru broke the silence with a "Done!"

Baron blinked rapidly for a few seconds, then reached up to scratch his head. Haru dropped her pencil and wiped her forehead, then turned the sketchbook around for him to see. For a moment he forgot to breathe.

It was amazing. It was more than a sketch; it was a complete drawing, with shading and delicate lines for the creases in his shirt and each individual eyelash and everything. And it was like looking into a mirror, it was so well done. She had captured him perfectly, and he reached up a little self-consciously to touch his mouth—did he really look that goofy when he smiled?

"Do you like it?" Haru asked, a little breathless herself.

Or did he just look that goofy when he was looking at her?

"It's brilliant, Haru," he said, reaching out to brush his fingertips against the paper. "It looks almost real. Like a reflection."

"Really? Thanks! That's totally what I was going for." He looked up, and their eyes met again. He was just about to lift his hand and lay it against her cheek when she broke the gaze and stared down at her lap, and he curled his fingers instead.

"It's getting late." Baron lifted his head and followed Haru's gaze out the living room window. She was right. The sky was turning shades of coral pink and burnt orange, and soon it would darken to a sheer navy blue.

This was a problem. Baron had no idea where he was going to stay the night. He supposed he could go back to the Refuge, but then he would be far away from Haru, and he'd have to deal with the frustrating task of locating her house again. If only he could…

"Would you like to stay here Baron?"

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry I slacked off for so long! No excuses, though. I swear I'll try harder once school ends. Oh well, read on!

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

"Would you like to stay here Baron?" Baron whirled his head to her as his jaw dropped in shock. He wasn't quite sure if the shock was because of the suggestion, or the fact that he had just been considering it.

Haru shrugged, but he could see her cheeks were tinged a pale pink. "I-I was just thinking you could sleep on the couch or something," she said, looking down at her lap. "I-it's not like you have anywhere else to go, right?"

Baron's heart lurched in his chest, but he restrained his face from appearing so eager. "Are you sure it would be all right?" he asked. "What about your mother? What would she say?"

Haru waved her hand. "Oh, don't worry about Mom," she replied. "She won't mind. I'll just tell her you're my friend and you have nowhere else to stay. That's the truth, isn't it?"

"Well..." He wasn't sure about this. It wasn't that he didn't want to; he just wasn't sure if it would be... well, proper. After all, he was a bachelor, had been a bachelor for many years, and Haru was an innocent young woman. He may have loved her, but he certainly had no interest in ruining her reputation because of it.

"Please?" Baron dragged his thoughts back at Haru's pleading whisper. He turned to look at her, saw her big brown eyes, her flushed cheeks, her lips curled downward and quivering. "Can't you stay?"

He didn't want to see her cry, so he smiled, reached out and took her hand in his. "Of course I'll stay," he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, "if you _absolutely_ insist."

Haru grinned and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh I do, I do!"

And so, Baron found himself being dragged away again, this time down a hallway and into Haru's bedroom. She left him in the doorway and went digging through her dresser drawers, finally pulling out a stack of fabric. She tossed the bundle at him as she moved to her closet and grabbed another heap of cloth and tossing that at him as well, and finally to her bed where she picked out two pillows and piled them on top. She guided him back to the living room and showed him how to turn the couch into a foldout bed, and she helped him spread out the sheets and arrange the pillows. Their hands briefly touched beneath one of the blankets, and they both blushed and looked away.

Once she was satisfied with that, she sent him into the bathroom and told him to shower. He played around with the knobs for a few minutes and admired the multitude of shampoo bottles on the tiled shelf before he stripped down and stepped under the streaming water. He yelped as it fell like icicles on his skin, and almost bit his lip through when he turned the other knob and scalded himself, and he finally just stood under the water for a few minutes and hurriedly got out. His skin was tingling and he couldn't see, and he had to grope around for the fluffy white towel Haru had tossed him in her excitement and dried off.

He slipped into the soft cotton T-shirt and the baggy black shorts she'd given him, smoothed down his hair, and avoided looking at himself in the mirror. He still wasn't comfortable with the fact that the face staring back was still that of a stranger.

Haru had flopped onto his bed while he was gone, but when he returned she squealed, pinched his cheeks as she told him how cute he was, then disappeared into the bathroom herself. He sighed, rubbing his cheek where she'd pinched it, then went and sat down on his bed.

It was warm where she'd been sitting, and he sank into the plush cushions. Bored, he aimlessly flipped through a magazine she'd left on the arm of the couch, barely glancing at the pictures lining the pages. Instead, his attention was drawn to a line of picture frames on the wall opposite him. Dropping the magazine, he stood up and strode toward them.

Photographs, he quickly realized upon closer inspection, of lots of women. Most of the faces he didn't know, but the little brunette with the broad smile and round eyes was almost as well known to him as his own face. Well, his _old_ face. Haru.

Many of them included a younger Haru and redheaded women who resembled her. Occasionally there was a man in some of the older ones, and other people who he guessed were relatives. But, as he looked, he decided his favorite was her most recent one. Her dark hair—which he noticed had been sheared off but had now reached her original length—was swept back across her forehead, revealing her twinkling eyes and her equally sparkling smile.

He smiled. The camera loved her.

Baron didn't realize she was right beside him until she spoke. "Oh jeez, I hate that picture," she said. He jumped, managing to just barely contain the unmanly yelp that almost slipped past his lips. Once he was over his shock, he looked down at her. She was blushing a brilliant rosy pink, twisting a lock of damp hair around her finger.

"Why do you hate it?" he asked, turning to look at the photograph again. "I think it's quite flattering."

"Really?"

"Of course." He voiced his thoughts from earlier: "The camera loves you."

Haru turned an even deeper shade of pink as she waved her hand dismissively. "Heck no, I look like a total dork. The smile looks fake and, unfortunately, the short hair doesn't look nearly as cute head-on. Plus that pink shirt totally washes me out and I had a zit on my forehead that day. That's why my hair looks funny."

"I don't think you look funny. I think you look be—" He stopped, clamped his jaw shut as his cheeks mirrored hers. He had never embarrassed himself so many times in one day.

"So, um… we should probably get to bed," Haru said after several awkward moments of silence. "It's getting late and um… okay, goodnight." She turned to go.

"Haru?" She stopped. "Thank you again for taking me in. I appreciate it."

She smiled, one even more brilliant and genuine than the one in the photograph. "Sure thing Baron. Anything for you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She quietly exited the room, flipping light switches off as she went. Baron approached his make-shift bed and pulled the sheet up to his chin. He placed his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. In a few moments he was dozing, then deeply sleeping, never once noticing the glint of gold outside the living room window, watching him sleep.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	9. Chapter 9

So, remember how I repeated the dream? Well, I deleted the chapter - don't need it, you already know what happened. This was originally chapter 10, but I'm backing everything up a number.

* * *

Baron woke with a start, sitting up in his bed and breathing heavily. He pushed a heavy hand through his thick hair and exhaled slowly. "Just a dream," he murmured to himself. "Only a dream."

Slowly the memories of yesterday came back to him: waking up outside, cursing, meeting Akiko, finding Haru, falling asleep on her couch…

He furrowed his brow. Speaking of memories, hadn't he had that same dream the night before? Yes he had, he remembered; it was the reason he awoke and discovered his 'condition.'

_Why_, however, was a much better question. Why would he have the same dream, a nightmare, two nights in a row?

He pondered this. It could be a sign or a message. Perhaps Belinda's doing? After all, she did appear both times, and masquerading as his fiancée no less. What on earth could that mean?

Baron rubbed his temples. At the moment he couldn't make head or tail of it, and it was doing nothing for his already fragile nerves. He would think about it later; right now he had to locate his lovely hostess.

Throwing the blankets off his legs, he climbed off the couch and stretched before wandering in the general direction of the kitchen, where a rather delectable smell was drifting.

In the kitchen at the stove, he found his lovely hostess holding a frying pan and humming a tune beneath her breath. As he watched, she grabbed a spatula and casually flipped whatever was in the pan and it landed with a sizzle and a quiet splat. Her humming rose slightly in volume and he smiled as he leaned on the counter to admire her. After a few more moments she spun around and let out a little shriek when she spied him leaning against her counter.

"Jeez Baron," she said, running her fingers through her hair, "you gave me a heart attack. I didn't even hear you come in."

He shrugged. "I guess I'm still light on my feet."

Haru grinned and turned back to the stove. "Well, I hope you like scrambled eggs and bacon, 'cause that's what I made. If not, I can make you something else…"

"Scrambled eggs and bacon sounds delicious," he said, his smile broadening. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You could… make some of your special tea?" she suggested offhandedly. "Your tea always tasted better than mine."

"Certainly." He straightened and moved to stand behind her. "Where should I find the ingredients?"

"Umm…" She bit her lip and gestured with the spatula. "My mom keeps all the tealeaves in that cupboard on the top two shelves, and there's a kettle in the dishwasher."

"All right." Baron easily found the tealeaves, though he struggled a little when locating the kettle—he still washed all his dishes by hand at his house—but he made an educated guess, opened a mechanical drawer, and found it nestled between a big steel bowl and several glass cups.

"So, where is your mother, exactly?" he asked as he filled the kettle and set it on the stovetop to boil. He jerked slightly when his fingers brushed her arm, and he turned around to fiddle with the little canisters containing leaves.

"Business trip," Haru replied, poking the gooey strips of pink and white bacon in a separate pan with a fork. "She quilts for a living. There's this big crafts fair in Osaka and she was invited to go, but she'll be back… tomorrow, I think."

"And you didn't join her?"

She shrugged. "I love my mom, but quilting isn't really my thing. I didn't want to bring her down, plus funds are kind of stretched right now, so I told her to go by herself and I'd see her when she got back."

Baron looked at her. "That was very sweet of you Haru," he said.

She shrugged again, but her cheeks were tinged pink as she spun around to get plates out of another cabinet. "Breakfast's ready."

He added a few choice leaves to the boiling water on the stove and helped carry the plates, cups, and silverware to the table. She smiled at him as she scooped out the eggs onto the ceramic and laid the bacon strips beside them, and he picked up the kettle and poured the tea into the teacups. "Milk, Haru?"

"Uh, yes please! It's in the fridge."

He found the carton and added generous amounts of the creamy liquid to both cups, still with enough time to lean over and pull out Haru's chair for her.

"Thanks," she murmured, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Dig in."

"With pleasure." He picked up a fork and sliced off a small morsel of egg and lifted it to his mouth. "Once again, I must say that you a very good cook Haru."

"Thanks. I eat a lot of salads and take-out because I never have the time to cook with school and all my lessons."

"It shows," he murmured, admiring her slender form for a brief moment before refocusing on his breakfast.

Haru took a sip of her tea and a slow smile spread across her lips. "I love your tea Baron," she said, closing her eyes. "It warms me from the inside out."

"I'm glad you like it."

She speared a bacon strip and piece of egg and plucked it off with her teeth. "Mmm, I have to go to the store today," she said, swallowing. "We're getting low on supplies, and I need to pick up a canvas and some paints for my art class on Thursday. You're welcome to join me, if you like," she added, seemingly an afterthought, although she wouldn't meet his steady green gaze.

His heart was thudding in his chest and he could barely contain his excitement, but he casually nodded. "I would enjoy that very much Haru, if you wouldn't mind my company."

"Not at all! Can we leave right after breakfast?"

"I am fine with any plans you make."

"Great! It'll be fun, I promise."

After they'd cleared the table, Baron coming into close contact with Haru more times than he'd like to count, he changed into a clean set of clothes in the bathroom, dragged a comb through his thick hair once, brushed his teeth, and gave himself one final inspection before returning to the living room to wait for her.

When he had been a cat figurine, he hadn't really paid much attention to his appearance. There were a few mirrors in his house, but he knew what he looked like and he hadn't changed for more years than he remembered, so they mostly served as decoration. However, now that even a gentle breeze could muss his hair and clothes, combined with the fact he wanted to impress Haru, he regretted to admit he had attained a shred of vanity when Belinda had cast this spell on him.

Fifteen minutes later Haru stepped out of her bedroom, clad in a yellow sundress with cotton lace along the neckline and the hem. She smiled at him and he was glad he was sitting down because he probably would have fallen over if he wasn't.

"Ready to go?" she asked. He nodded. "Okay, let's go then." Remembering his manners, he stood up and strode to the door, holding it for her as she stepped out. "Thank you Baron."

"Of course. A gentleman should always hold a door for a lady."

She grinned. "Man, and I thought chivalry was dead."

They headed down the road, Haru's hand looped through his elbow, and he encouraged her into conversation.

"What exactly are you doing in your art classes?" he asked.

She waved her hand. "Nothing much, really. We've been doing some preliminary sketching stuff mostly, but this week my teacher wants us to start painting."

"Really? What medium?"

"Watercolor or acrylic, our choice." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I didn't know you knew art lingo."

Baron smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Since it's just Toto, Muta, and I at the Refuge, I spend a lot of time reading. I have several books on the subject."

"I wish I had more time to read. I'm always swamped with work. My mom's been dropping hints for me to get a job like crazy because, in her words, 'Those lessons aren't paying for themselves.'"

He nodded. "Is there somewhere you were thinking of?"

Haru shrugged. "I had considered the animal shelter for a while, but I couldn't bear seeing all those sad animals. I could only be in there for a few minutes before I'd start crying. I wanted to take them all home, but my mom won't let me have any pets. She's afraid they'd tear up her quilts or something."

"Any other options?"

"I _really_ want to be a teacher, an art teacher or something, and teach little kids. I love kids, so imaginative and whimsical and carefree, you know? That's what I really wanna do."

He grinned. "You would make a wonderful teacher Haru."

"Oh, stop, please."

"No, I'm serious," he chuckled. "I bet your students would love you." _I do_, he added wistfully.

They stopped on a street corner and she stared up at him, her brown orbs shining. "You really think so?" she whispered.

"I _know _so. You, Haru, are—" _Absolutely perfect,_ he wanted to say. However, before he could finish the sentence, an obnoxiously loud car horn sounded and they were jolted out of the reverie; the little red hand had flipped to a white walking person, and they were holding up traffic. Both blushing furiously, they dashed across the street and resumed their pace.

Haru led him to a grocery store just outside of the residential area where she lived, and they spent several hours picking out fruits and vegetables, meats and various dairy products, and he managed to stray her from the instant ramen cups. _This_ was something he was good at—he _had_ been shopping before, mostly to keep Muta and Belinda and any other people who dropped by fed.

Afterwards she still had to stop by an art supplies shop, one just around the corner from her old high school. She pointed it out to him, though she didn't need to. He remembered it well, mostly because that was where she had confessed she had feelings for him. He could never forget such a milestone in his life.

Up the street and around the corner from her school was the art shop: Seishido Art Supplies. Haru led him inside, and his nose was flooded with a variety of warm, peaceful smells. Plastic, paint, oil, ink, freshly cut and aged wood, the smells assaulted his nostrils pleasantly, and he took several deep breaths to keep them there.

Seishido Art Supplies was small and dimly lit, most of the light being let in from the big bay windows in front, displaying both supplies and pieces done by the owner of the shop, Atsuko Seishido, herself. The walls and most of the floor space were covered in shelves stacked with varying supplies, from paintbrushes to beads to calligraphy pens to scrapbook stickers, and what was left was dashed and sprayed and splattered with all the colors of the rainbow. Baron wondered if Belinda had ever been inside the shop; sadly, he could see her knocking over bottles of paint until the walls looked like that.

This was obviously not Haru's first time in the shop, as she meandered her way to the back, weaving in between the numerous shelves with ease. Afraid he'd lose her, he hurried to catch up and found her staring thoughtfully at a rack of canvases.

"My teacher wants us to work on a new surface," she explained absently. "Though I don't know what I'm going to paint yet."

"Any ideas?"

She shrugged. "Not really. Maybe a portrait. My teacher says I am so good at drawing people it's not even funny." She plucked a canvas from the wall and stuck it under her arm. "I've worked in watercolor before," she said as she went off in a different direction, Baron following, "so I want to try acrylics."

"Sounds good to me." She tilted her head and grinned, and they spent the next hour in front of a shelf of paint bottles, picking out colors. Haru kept getting distracted, so the majority of the hour was spent commenting on the unusual names given the colors. 'Thoughtful Spot,' 'Skipping Stones,' 'Parchment Paper,' 'Wildflower Honey.'

"What the heck is 'Lilac Bisque'?" Haru asked, holding up a violet-hued bottle. "How can a bisque be lilac? Bisque is soup, right?"

"I'm more curious about 'Winsome Hue,'" he remarking, lifting a bottle of a white shade. "How is a hue _winsome_?"

"Man, I wish I get paid to make up names for colors. That would be so...What's this?" She stuck her hand between the bottles and pulled out a deep, reddish-pink one. "'Love's First Kiss,'" she read.

"Really?" Baron leaned over her shoulder to read it for himself, and as he did he realized how close his cheek was to hers, how close he was standing next to her, how quickly his heart was racing.

Haru turned her head slightly and looked up into his eyes, and although every cell in his body was screaming for him to lean down and just _kiss _her already, he froze. But Haru hadn't, and her eyes closed and her lips parted and she started to lean up...

And then a very obnoxious bell went off—which turned out to be Haru's cell phone—and they both leaped away from each other so Haru could answer her phone.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	10. Chapter 10

Haru's POV.

* * *

Haru awoke to the quiet beeping of her alarm clock, and she groggily reached out, felt around with her hand, and finally hit a button to silence it. Ten minutes later, the clock went off again.

Sitting up, she ran her fingers through her dark hair and yawned. She had to get up anyway, to cook breakfast for Baron…

Ah, Baron. What to say about Baron? Well, she was happy he was here, obviously. She'd missed him like crazy, so she was ecstatic that he'd showed up on her doorstep two days ago. _And_ the fact that he was really, _really_ cute certainly acted in his favor.

A _better_ question was did Baron feel the same way? Every time he looked at her, it was like he was caught in a daze, and he certainly didn't mind touching her. Plus they'd almost kissed. That _had _to mean _something_… right?

She sighed. She was tired, that was all, much too tired to be thinking about whether or not Baron loved her. And she still had to make him breakfast and clean the house up for her mom.

Tossing the thick comforter off her legs, she stretched her arms and slid off the bed, hitting the alarm clock as it went off a third time. Yawning again, she dragged her fingers through her hair a couple times and almost stumbled down the stairs into the kitchen. When she entered, she gasped. "Baron?!"

Standing before the stove, holding a frying pan and whistling, was Baron. At the call of his name he spun around and grinned at her. "Good morning Haru," he said brightly. "Do you like pancakes?"

"Uh… yeah…"

He beamed, and her legs turned to jelly. "I'm glad. I was worried you wouldn't."

"No, I'm pro-pancakes…"

"Do you need any help?" she asked, remembering her manners.

Baron shook his head. "No, I think I've got it covered." He turned back around and lifted the pan up to flip the pancake in the air, landing back in the pan with a sizzle.

She leaned her arm on the counter to cradle her head and shook her head violently when she caught herself admiring his backside. "I-I didn't know you could cook, Baron," she remarked in an effort to distract herself.

He shrugged and tilted his head back to grin at her again. "Muta is in the Refuge more often than you might think," he explained. "_Someone_ has to feed him."

She laughed. "Yeah, I can see Muta mooching off of you."

He chuckled. "Oh, Haru? I actually do need some assistance now."

She rose abruptly. "Sure, whatcha need?"

"Dishes?"

"Coming right up." Haru darted to the cupboard and pulled out the necessary wares for eating pancakes: plates, teacups, forks and knives.

"Can you also get the syrup and butter? I'm afraid I don't know the configuration of your kitchen just yet."

"Sure thing." She scooped the syrup and butter tray up and set them on the table, then carried the whistling kettle over as well. "All set."

"Perfect." Flipping out the currently cooking pancake onto another plate he'd obviously found, he carried it over to the table and set it down. Then he rushed over to pull the chair out for her before seating himself across from her. "Your breakfast is served, my lady."

"Thanks," she said shyly, blushing.

"You're quite welcome. Since you're being so gracious and letting me stay here, I thought I should be of some use to you and help out."

"I appreciate it." Dousing the fluffy pancake in syrup, she sawed it into smaller pieces before spearing several with her fork and plunging them into her mouth. "This is delicious Baron!" she said once she swallowed. "_Way_ better than any I've ever made!"

"I'm glad you like them," he said quietly, tilting his head down.

She nodded eagerly, then raised her fork as she remembered her other chore for that day. "Mmm, I still have to clean house."

"Because your mother is returning today?"

"Yes, and she'd _kill_ me if she sees how far I let the house go. She won't be back till three so I've got some time."

"Would you like some assistance?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, you certainly don't have to help. You're my guest!"

He frowned. "But if I don't do something I'll feel useless, and like I'm not pulling my weight."

"You're my friend, and my guest. Plus two days ago you were a figurine. I wouldn't expect you to—"

"I clean at my house too, Haru," he said, almost sternly. "I _want_ to help."

Haru didn't want to argue with him, and she _would_ like the help... "All right," she sighed, "you can help. You're _my _guest, so you shouldn't be subjected to performing household chores."

They quietly returned to their breakfast, and once they'd cleared the table—she'd _told_ him not to help but he stubbornly refused to listen—she went upstairs and changed into a T-shirt and holey pair of jeans. Tying back her hair as he came back down the stairs, she tromped into the kitchen and found the broom and dustpan. These she handed to Baron.

"Since you refuse to _not_ help, can you sweep the kitchen for me? I'm going to go upstairs and clean the bathroom."

"Of course Haru." Even though she was still frustrated with him, one brilliant, sweet smile was enough to melt her anger and her legs, so she stumbled upstairs, managing _not_ to trip.

The morning went by rapidly as she passed by Baron in the kitchen several times when she went to trade out supplies and he wanted something else to do. By two-thirty, the house was verging on spotless. All that remained was the living room.

Haru stood in the hallway, hands on her hips, lower lip tugged between her teeth thoughtfully.

The room had, if anything, only gotten dirtier in the past two days, although it was definitely not Baron's fault. The grocery bags, the new canvas, and the paint bottles were scattered on the floor and the coffee table, and she still needed to take out the trash. Baron, being the perfect guest that he was, had neatly folded up all his clothes and stuck them back in his duffel sack, the blanket and pillow he'd been using stacked on the arm of the couch.

"Where should we start?" he asked, coming up behind her.

Haru tilted her head. "Probably near the door. My mom would probably like to enter her own house."

"Good idea."

She tiptoed around a pile of clothes she didn't remember leaving there. "Mind if I put on some music?" she asked as she maneuvered her way to a stereo set up in the corner.

"Not at all. Play away."

She clicked a button on the stereo, which began blasting the hip-hop song she liked. When she turned around, she laughed as she saw a grimace cross Baron's face.

"Maybe not so loud...?" he shouted over the music.

Happily, she obliged her and turned the knob down so only the beat of the music could be heard. "Better?" He nodded.

They worked together to put all the art supplies away and the rest of the junk Haru had scattered over the room the past couple days. More than once she caught herself staring at him when he wasn't looking, then blushing guiltily when he would look her way. Then, once he'd go back to work, she'd gaze at him again until he'd turn and the whole process would start over.

"I'm going to take this outside," he said suddenly, indicating the bag filled with papers and other trash bits they'd collected. "It's on the right side of the house, right?"

"Next to the rose trellis," she replied, working on scraping away a blob of paint she didn't quite remember squirting on the wall. It looked an awful lot like 'Raffia Cream.'

She heard the door close behind her and the song playing over the stereo end. The next song caused her to close her eyes and wince slightly, hoping Baron would linger outside.

The song was called "Katzen Blut," or "Cat's Blood" in English, and she loved the song with all her heart, even though it wasn't what she typically listened to. No, she loved "Katzen Blut" because it reminded her of Baron, and it reminded her of Baron because it was the song they had danced to when she had been whisked away to the Kingdom of Cats two years ago.

Closing her eyes, she slowly rose to her feet and began to sway to the music. Lifting her hands up as if she had a partner, she slowly spun, humming the tune beneath her breath. She imagined Baron's arms around her, holding her as they twirled and spun to the beat.

That's funny, it felt like someone was actually...

"I don't believe I shall ever understand what you meant," Baron's warm voice whispered in her ear.

Haru jumped and her eyes flew open and she found she was gazing into his glittering jade ones. One hand was clasped to her waist, the other interlocked with her upraised hand. "W-w-what do you mean?" she stuttered, feeling herself redden up to her hairline and down past her collar.

Baron chuckled as he twirled her expertly beneath his fingers. "When we were in the Cat Kingdom and I came up to you and asked if you would care to dance, you said you were, and I quote, 'a _meowsy_ dancer.' But I don't know what you could possibly have meant because you danced beautifully with me." He caught her in his arms, extended his left as if to fling her away from him, then tugged her back until their bodies gently collided. "You still do," he murmured, catching her leg to lean her down in a dip.

The track had ended but she didn't notice—she was too busy drowning in his bottomless emerald eyes. She reached up to brush her fingertips against his cheek, and he sighed, his eyelids fluttering shut.

"Baron," she breathed. Grasping his chin with the caressing hand, she brought his head closer to her own, his mouth closer to hers.

"I'm home! Haru, are you here?"

The two jumped. Haru shrieked, and Baron jumped several feet away. In his surprise, Baron released the hold he had on her leg and waist, so Haru ended up sprawled on the carpet, a paintbrush she had forgotten digging into her back. She groaned and rolled to her side, rubbing her spinal cord, but her eyelids shot open when she heard a gasp that definitely didn't belong to the handsome human man who'd dropped her.

"Haru!" Naoko Yoshioka shouted, one hand on her waist, the other pointing at Baron. "Well young lady, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Haru smiled weakly. "Um... welcome home?"

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	11. Chapter 11

Back to Baron's POV. Short chapter.

* * *

He had been so _close_! So close and yet so far, apparently, to kissing the lovely brunette he'd held in his arms. And then that shout and that angry, redheaded woman in the door had ruined everything. Although he couldn't really blame her; she'd walked in on her daughter and a strange man in a very compromising position.

He felt bad that he had dropped Haru when Mrs. Yoshioka had called out, but his nerves were still very, very fragile, and spending this much time around Haru was certainly not helping.

Haru rolled over and smiled weakly at her mother. "Um... welcome home?"

This did not soothe Mrs. Yoshioka at all; if anything, it only enraged her more.

"Haru Yoshioka," she growled threateningly, wagging her finger at her daughter, "you better have a _very_ good explanation for this."

"_Mom_..." Haru groaned, and Baron reached out to her. Mrs. Yoshioka's glare stopped him from touching her though.

"Kitchen. _Right now_ young lady. And you!" She pointed her finger at Baron. "Stay right there, and don't you _dare_ move."

He nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets as Haru clambered to her feet and trudged after her incensed mother, sending him an equally wan smile. _Don't worry_ she mouthed. He nodded and smiled slightly back in reassurance.

The two women disappeared around the corner and, curiosity getting the better of him—Muta's bad habits were rubbing off on him, he hated to admit—he inched his way over so he was in better hearing range of the kitchen.

"I can't believe you, Haru," Haru's mother said angrily. "I trusted you. You were such a good girl..."

"Mom—"

"So innocent! I didn't think you were as bad as Chiyo's daughter, but now that I'm seeing _this_..."

"Mom, it's not what you think!" Haru protested fervently. "We weren't _doing_ anything! Baron was just helping me clean for you..."

"Baron?"

There was a pause; Haru was hesitating. "That's his... his nickname. His real name's Humbert von Gikkingen, but that just sounds silly so he goes by Baron."

Baron sighed. Well, at least she was being honest.

"And where do you know this 'Baron' from?"

"I met him through... through my dance lessons! He was the only one willing to be partner before I quit."

"But I thought you said..."

"I was embarrassed. But... but his father disowned him so he has no place to stay, and I gave him my number once and he called me and asked if he could stay. He's been crashing on the couch for two days Mom, I _swear_!"

He slapped his forehead. So much for being honest.

"Please Mom," Haru continued. "He'll only be here five more days, then he's gone. Please."

Another pause. "All right," her mother said. "I trust you, so he can stay."

Haru squealed with delight, but her mother abruptly cut her off. "But he sticks to the couch. And no more of what you were doing in the living room."

"We were _dancing_ Mom, jeez. Baron would never try something like that. He's too much of a gentleman." With a quiet 'hmph,' she reentered the room and a grin spread from ear to ear across her face. "You get to stay!" she whispered excitedly, darting over to him. "I'm so happy!" And she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I was afraid for a second she would throw you out, but..."

"Haru!"

Haru quickly distanced himself from him, wrapping her hands behind her back and smiling innocently. Baron studied the slippers Haru insisted he wear, although he couldn't get his heart to stop racing.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	12. Chapter 12

"We'll be back later Mom!"

"You better not try anything Baron!"

"Yes Mrs. Yoshioka."

"_Bye Mom!"_

"Have fun!"

Haru's face deepened in color as she smiled sheepishly at him. "Sorry about that," she said as she closed the door. "My mom can be a little..."

"Protective?" Baron supplied amicably.

She smiled. "I was going to say crazy, but that works too."

He grinned back as she looped her arm through his. "Are you sure you want to come?" she asked, concern evident in her tone.

He chuckled. "I _want_ to meet your friends Haru."

She sighed. "But I don't know what you're going to do," she said, biting her lip. "I mean, you don't even _know_ them."

"I'll _talk_ to them Haru. People _do _still talk when they spend time with their friends, don't they? I haven't been cut off from the modern world _entirely_."

She turned to him suddenly, her jaw dropped in evident shock. "Were you just being _sarcastic_?" she asked incredulously.

He hadn't really noticed until she'd pointed it out, and his head dropped. "I've been spending too much time with Muta, haven't I?" he asked shamefully.

Her attention fell to the pavement. "I just didn't know you had it in you Baron," she said.

There were already two people in the booth when they arrived a little after eight o'clock: a young man with closely cropped black hair and a goofy smile, and a young woman with short, reddish-blonde hair and naturally rosy cheeks. The young woman waved eagerly as she saw them approach, practically leaping out of the booth's comfy leather cushions to embrace Haru.

"Hiromi!" Haru squeaked in surprise. "I just saw you last month!"

"I know," the woman she called Hiromi said, releasing her dark-haired friend, "but it feels like it's been forever."

Hiromi's ecstatic grin faltered as she glanced back at Baron for the first time since their arrival. "Who's this?" she asked, her rosy cheeks reddening further.

Haru clapped a hand to his shoulder. "This," she began dramatically, "is Baron. Baron, this is Hiromi and Tsuge."

Tsuge rose and extended his hand, which he gave a firm shake. He then turned to the blushing girl before him, lifted her hand, and pressed it lightly to his lips. "A pleasure to meet you both," he said, releasing it.

Haru laughed as she explained. "He's staying at my house for the rest of the week before he goes back home. _And_ our relationship is purely platonic." She had no idea the kind of damage those five words did to his heart, but he forced a very convincing smile and gestured for her to seat herself first.

She slid into the booth, picked up a menu and stared at it, chewing her lip in deep consternation as she decided what to order.

Tsuge leaned forward, jerking a thumb toward the brunette on his right. "So where'd you meet our lovely lady friend, Baron?" he asked slyly, raising his eyebrows.

"Where did we meet?" he repeated slowly as his mind searched for the answer. What had Haru told her mother again? It was right on the tip of his tongue when—curse that memory of his, always plaguing him at the most inopportune times...

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

_She stood near the window speaking to Muta, looking exasperated. Apparently he chose to ignore our client again; that was really no way to treat our guest._

_She stepped forward and bent down further, and I finally caught a glimpse of the, excuse the cliché, damsel in distress. Dark hair was pulled up in a painfully high ponytail, short bangs framing her heart-shaped face. Large, sparkling brown eyes glowed brightly, her mouth pulled in a frown. Then she glanced at me._

_Toto says I have a flair for the dramatic. Muta claims I'm just a show-off. However, regardless of their opinions, I like to wait for my clients to become better adjusted to this tiny European-style court stranded in the middle of Tokyo before properly introducing myself._

_The young lady looked at me, her mouth forming a small 'o'. Maybe she'd never seen a cat figurine before. As she watched, my eyes quickly shifted down toward my overweight companion and then back. She stumbled backward as the sun began to set._

_It only takes a small bit of magic and large bit of control, plus an almost ungodly amount of patience, to get the sun to shine on the panes of all the windows in the village just right and then to have them reflect their light upon my house, which is the tiniest in the square. I rather like it, actually; certainly livens up the place._

_Muta tilted his head slightly, enough to snarl at me through the window. "Enough Baron. Turn it off. No one's impressed with your cheesy light show, okay?" He snapped his newspaper up to shade his eyes, but I continued grinning. Muta gave me enough trouble as it was; I had always gotten a secret, guilty pleasure of providing him with an equal amount of annoyance._

_The sun disappeared behind the roofs of the taller houses, the square bathed in a periwinkle glow. The lamppost automatically snapped on; by clicking the fingers behind my back, my household lights did as well._

_The young lady, who was quite pretty in a human girl sort of way, was standing almost beside Toto's pole, so she didn't see when I ducked back from the window. Pushing open the double doors, I gripped my cane in one hand and walked out to greet her._

_Upon reaching her, I swept the top hat from my head and held it in my hand. "Good evening," I began cordially. "Welcome to the Bureau."_

_Attempting to step forward, the girl tripped on her feet and ended up stumbling within several inches of me. "Wow, you're cool," she murmured._

_A small smile passed my lips. "Thank you. In case you haven't noticed, you're now in a world quite different from your own. This is a refuge for Creations. Whenever someone creates something with all of their heart, then that Creation is given a soul you see." I turned toward her. "Like me, and Toto there."_

_As soon as the words had left my mouth, the stone crow atop the pole began to glow blue before fading to a glossy black, stretching his wings and shifting his feet. Her attention was immediately captured, and she struggled to speak. "That's... that's..."_

_"That is Toto, a stone statue with a soul."_

_Toto, who had been preening, looked down at us. "I see you have a visitor today Baron," he said, cocking his head slightly. "How unusual."_

_"Indeed," I replied, replacing the top hat on my head. "She's quite a fetching one too."_

_Her attention diverted to me again. "Did he say 'Baron'?"_

_I turned to her. "I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen," I stated proudly." The artisan who created me gave me that title."_

_She grinned. "I'll just call you 'Baron.'"_

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Baron was jolted from his flashback when Haru prodded him in the shoulder. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I'm sorry, what did you say again?"

"I asked where you met Haru," Tsuge said. "We're dying to know over here."

"Oh. Dance lessons, of course," he replied easily. "I was the only one able to dance with her."

Both people across the table looked at Haru. "You told us no one danced with you," Hiromi said accusingly.

Haru shrugged, clearly embarrassed, so naturally Baron came to her rescue. "It was because I'm really no better than her, you see. A tad worse, actually. Being the nice person she is, Haru didn't want to brag there was a worse dancer than her."

This answer seemed to satisfy Hiromi, and she and Tsuge resumed looking at their menus. While they were distracted, Haru turned to him and mouthed Thank you. He nodded discreetly.

Tsuge made an effort to engage him in conversation, and for this he was grateful. If not for the pleasant intervention, he would have spent the entire night gazing at his lovely companion.

Tsuge asked him about his hobbies and his family and other things young men talk about, and although he appreciated the effort, he found he couldn't exactly answer truthfully without giving away his and Haru's secret. He dodged the topic of his relatives easily, leaving that to their imaginations, and left the nature of his hobbies rather vague other than he liked to read, fence, pluck on a violin when he was so inclined,and of course, dance. He then directed Tsuge's attention to sports, which kept him occupied until the food arrived.

As they chatted, he slung his right arm around the top of the booth, slightly conscious of the fact that his arm was around Haru's shoulders. When his fingers brushed against her neck, he jerked his hand away as Haru abruptly stood and excused herself. Hiromi quickly followed suit, and the two girls dashed off.

"Smooth."

Baron lifted an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Tsuge folded his arms. "Dude, that is _no_ way to flirt with a girl."

While he maintained a serious expression, Baron felt his face begin to grow hot. "What are you insinuating?"

"It's painfully obvious you like Haru," he explained, sounding a little exasperated, "but you can't jump every time you touch her. You have to stay cool or you'll scare her away like you just did."

He tilted his head. "Do you know if she possesses a significant other?"

Tsuge shrugged. "They don't tell me anything."

Haru and Hiromi suddenly returned, both girls red-faced and giggling uncontrollably. "What'd you two do?" Tsuge asked as they both sat down.

The girls exchanged glances and giggled more. "Nothing," Hiromi replied.

"Don't worry about it," Haru added, covering her mouth.

Tsuge raised his eyebrows pointedly, and Baron shook his head.

Dinner ended a few minutes after ten and the four of them prepared to depart. Haru and Hiromi hugged, Hiromi peeking over Haru's shoulder and winking at Baron. He shook Tsuge's hand and then Hiromi and Tsuge went one way while he and Haru went the other.

"So?"

"So… what?"

Haru grabbed his arm. "So what'd you think of them?"

He chuckled. "They're nice people. A little too curious for their own good, but that is to be expected when such a foreign person shows up out of the blue with their friend."

She laughed. "I'm glad. They liked you too you know."

"I got the feeling when Hiromi winked at me."

Haru gasped, then fell against him in helpless laughter. "She's such a flirt sometimes," she breathed. "My friends, huh?"

Again, he chuckled. "I see why you like them."

When she finally calmed down enough to speak without gasping, she looked up at him. "I had fun, Baron," she remarked softly.

He nodded. "Me too."

"We should do this kind of stuff more often."

"Well…" his eyes fell to the pavement, "I only have five days left as a human. Four, since today is almost over."

"Oh." And her face fell.

"But I still have four days," he said quickly, attempting to reassure her. "Plenty of time for us to spend together. And you can still come visit me in at the Refuge afterward."

Forcing a smile, she nodded. "Yeah, of course. That'd be fun too."

The smile he gave in return was equally as false before he steered her away from the depressing topic of his short-lasting humanity to other, happier things. Like what they would do after she got back from her art class tomorrow.

However, the look on her face before she smiled still nagged him when he was lying on the couch that night trying to sleep—_after_ he and Haru had given a detailed description of the night's activities to her mother. He wasn't entirely sure, but he had a pretty good idea what the look on her face had said:

_That's not what I want._

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	13. Chapter 13

Baron crossed his legs on the cobblestones. "The couch is no feather mattress, but she cooks well and enjoys my company."

Toto nodded. "So you like being human."

"Really, the only major difference is my height. Everything I could do before I can still do now, so I'm not missing anything."

"Have you kissed her yet?" Muta sneered as he poked his ridiculously large head out between the double doors of Baron's house.

"No, I have not," he replied sternly, frowning at the obese feline, though his face was turning ten shades of red. "It would entirely improper."

"Besides," Toto added, plucking at disorderly feather on his chest, "what makes you think Baron would kiss and tell?" Eleven shades of red. "Especially to an uncouth fatso like _you_?"

"You wanna say that to my face?!" Muta snarled, waving a clenched paw at the cackling crow.

"I would be _glad_ to!"

"Can you two _please_ not argue for _once_?" Baron said tiredly, reaching to rub his temples as he felt a headache approaching. "I'm surprised the place hasn't been torn to pieces in my absence."

The two bickering animals relented, promising to pick up where they left off the moment their humanoid friend left.

"So, are you _gonna_ kiss her?" Muta asked, waddling over and plopping down on the cobblestones beside his feet.

He sighed, pushing a hand through his thick hair. "I don't know," he mumbled. "I want to I suppose, and I almost have several times, but something always interferes. Her, me, her _mother_…" He shook his head darkly. "I'm afraid of that woman. I think if Haru hadn't made up that story about my father disowning me, I would have spent the rest of this… this _spell _on the street."

At the description of Mrs. Yoshioka, Muta sat up and laughed; Baron reached over and calmly knocked him forward, squashing the cat's nose in the stones and causing him to yowl angrily.

"What do you mean you 'suppose'?" Toto inquired, returning to the _real_ topic of concern. "I thought you _loved_ Haru."

Was it _that_ obvious how he felt?

Muta grinned evilly. "Baron and Haru sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-"

"_Don't_ sing that song," he snapped.

"What's wrong Baron? A little _sensitive_?"

"You can go find someone else to cook you angel food cake Muta." He knocked the fat cat over again.

"Owww!"

"You two are being ridiculous," Toto chided irately. "What is _really_ important is what Baron is going to do, right? And it's not like Muta needs more cake."

Baron's head dropped until his chin hit his chest. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's come over me. This whole ordeal has got me on edge." He reached over and scratched Muta's head. "Forgive me?" he asked quietly, a small smile playing on his lips.

Having associated with him for years, Baron knew exactly which spots Muta liked to be scratched best—one was located just behind his left ear. The cat stretched and purred loudly, sounding like an automobile's motor.

"You owe me a cake when you come back," Muta grumbled, and Toto laughed.

"So what _are_ you going to do Baron?" Toto asked, fluttering off his pole to land lightly on one of Baron's broad shoulders.

"Go back to Haru, I suppose. I have four days left and, being actually human with an appetite, she can feed me properly. I'll come back on Sunday—she has an art class again and I do not relish of the idea of staying in the house with her mother by myself. What happens, happens, and what doesn't, doesn't."

The white cat and the black crow exchanged a worried set a looks. "Baron…" Toto began, but Baron wasn't listening. Like so many times recently, his mind was wandering through his blissful memories…

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

_While Muta nimbly darted along the tops of the walls, Haru and I made our way through the winding maze. A left here, then a right, then another left, backtracking if I led her into a dead end. The sounds of heavy bodies hitting dirt and moans echoed behind us, and I smiled—the guards shouldn't have tried to chase after Muta. He was more graceful than he looked._

_We turned a corner, I just a few paces ahead of my half-cat companion, when I spotted two guards rolling on the ground in front of us, directly in our path. My feet skidded to a halt, Haru following suit. I lifted my cane and stuck out my left arm as a barricade to prevent the girl from behind me, and the cats before me, from passing in other direction. I wasn't going down without a fight._

"_Stay behind me Haru," I commanded, inching forward. The guards rose and faced me. I noticed they were both armed with swords._

_The first guard gave a battle cry and raised his sword high above his head, obviously preparing to cut me down where I stood. Holding my cane with the crook up, I bounced a little on my feet and silently counted._

_One. Two. On three, the cat brought his arm down, but I was ready for him, and I jabbed the crook of the cane into his gut, grabbed his fur with my free hand, and flipped him over me. He landed with a heavy thud on the ground and didn't get up._

_I glanced back at Haru to make sure I hadn't accidentally crushed her with the giant buffoon lying behind me, but thankfully she was still in one piece, though the look of fear in her eyes had been replaced with awe._

_I turned to face my next opponent. The second cat gasped in shock as he saw what I had done to his friend so he raised his sword too, but I deftly swung my cane, hitting him first in the forearm to bring his arms down. Next came the armpit, which brought his arms further down, then the wrist to knock the sword out of his grasp. I whacked him in the shin so he was clutching his wrist and hopping on one foot, which looked dreadfully silly. Finally I put him out of his misery—I rushed forward, hitting him with enough force to knock him back into the wall behind him. My arm fell to my side and he fell to the ground, unconsciousness._

_Haru, who had mysteriously manifested beside me, was apparently fascinated by use of what you would commonly think a rather useless object, if one would consider her gasp of, "Wow!"_

_I held my cane up at eyelevel to inspect the damage. When I had hit the thugs, it seemed their hulking bodies had chipped the wood and bent it towards the left. However, it had no sentimental value and was easily replaced; mostly, I was glad Haru still remained unscathed._

_She peered over my shoulder as I peered at it and asked, concern tingeing her voice, "Oh, how's your cane?"_

"_Bent," I spun it once before letting the shaft rest across my shoulder, "but it's about time for a new one anyway." We sidestepped the fallen guards and resumed our running._

_Behind me, the interest in my skills was still clear in her voice as she remarked, "I never knew they were so useful."_

_I smiled. Haru was so easily impressed._

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

"Oww!" Baron cried out, clutching his ankle and turning to glare at the pig-like cat at his feet, his left claws dripping blood. "Muta! What was that for?"

He smirked as he wiped the claws on Baron's pant leg. "You were off in La-La Land. I decided to bring you back to reality."

Baron glared at him, and Muta shrugged. "Don't be a baby. I barely broke the skin."

Toto swung his wing out to smack Muta in the head. "Barbarian."

"Birdbrain!"

"Fleabag!"

"Chicken wings!"

"Stop it!" Baron growled, wrapping his arms around Muta's enormous girth and holding him to his chest as Muta struggled to attack the smug crow perched on his shoulder. "Honestly, you two… I don't know _why _I put up with this…"

He rose, dumping Muta unceremoniously to the ground and dusting his hands off. "I think I would rather be ruthlessly interrogated by a protective mother than remain here. Plus, I'm _bleeding_." He shooed Toto off his shoulder and turned to go. "I'll be back on Sunday."

He headed for the archway, paused before it, sighed, then turned around. Strolling back over to the pole in the center, he scratched Muta's head fondly and ran his hand the length of Toto's body twice. "Try not to maul each other while I'm gone."

"We won't," the two animals chimed in unison.

Baron smiled and this time continued through the archway—he had to duck his head to avoid banging his forehead against the stone—stuffed his heads in his pockets, and headed back to the Crossroads. Haru was meeting him there, and his heart began to race at just the thought of her sweet face. He couldn't _wait_ to see her again.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you very much YarningChick for the advice! I threw in what you said about Naoko in this chapter, though not in quite the way you suggested. Hope you, and all the other people who're reading it, enjoy it!

* * *

Baron yawned as he flipped through a book he'd found in Haru's room, barely glancing at the words on the page. Normally he appreciated great literature, but he couldn't focus on the somewhat slow-moving plot of _Pride and Prejudice_. He didn't like how wealth could decide the fate of a marriage and he didn't like how Mr. Darcy rejected Elizabeth purely because she was lower than he was and he especially didn't like Mrs. Bennet's interference in trying to force her independent daughter to wed.

Toto said he was a hopeless romantic.

Mostly he was just trying to pass the time until Haru came back. She told him a string in her piano needed to be replaced, so she had to go to the music store to buy a new one. Mrs. Yoshioka, who was becoming better adjusted to his presence as the days went by, had gone to a hobbies store for more fabric for her quilts, leaving him in the house by himself.

Tossing the book onto the coffee table, he sat back and stared at the ceiling. He was bored out of his _mind_. He hoped Haru would return soon.

Someone up there either liked him or pitied him, because no sooner had he thought this he heard the familiar turn of a key in a lock and the door opening. Sitting up eagerly, he watched as his favorite brunette entered the house, carrying a plastic bag and a large, rectangular instrument case.

Rising, he strode over and relieved her of her burden and held it in his arms. What on earth would Haru need another instrument for?

"Thanks," she said, bending down to pull off her sandals. "That case was getting heavy."

"What is it?" he inquired curiously, running his fingers along the brand name embossed in gold paint.

"A present for someone."

"Anyone I know?"

"I think so." She walked past him into the living room and pulled a thick booklet out of the plastic bag. Shrugging, he dutifully followed and set the case on the table.

Baron watched as she struck a few keys on the piano before spinning around to face him. "You didn't get a piano string," he pointed out.

She grinned sheepishly, gesturing at the case. "I know," she replied, "but I wanted this to be a surprise."

He arced a brow. "Is this for me, then?"

"Yep. Open it."

Fingering the silver latches a moment, he flipped them up and lifted the lid, his eyes widening as the contents of the case was revealed. Reaching in, awestruck, he wrapped his hand around the neck of a beautifully carved violin. "Haru..." he breathed, "what... I don't..."

She giggled at his lack of intelligible thought and began to explain. "I remembered what you said at the restaurant a couple days ago," she said. "You said one of your hobbies is, and I quote, 'plucking on the violin whenever I feel so inclined.' Don't give me that look; I didn't buy the thing. I just rented it from the music store for a little bit, hoping you would 'feel so inclined' to play a little."

He held the elegantly carved instrument in his hand, dragging his fingertips along the finely polished wood, up the neck and around the spiral at the end, marveling at its beauty.

"It's been so long since I last played..." Playing, strangely enough, reminded him of Haru. "It won't be as good..."

"That's okay. The clerk at the store already tuned it, and I'll provide accompaniment." Her eyes glittered as she looked up at him and continued, "That way, if you blunder _too_ terribly, I can drown out the sound with my own equally flawed playing."

He laughed as he carefully replaced the instrument to draw out the bow and run the little block of rosin down the length of the horsehairs several times. Then he placed the wood beneath his chin and ran the bow across the strings gently, eliciting a soft, lilting note to float in the air above them. He heard Haru sigh dreamily behind him.

Now… what to play? He dragged the bow across the strings languidly, enjoying the sounds ringing out from the strings, as he pondered the tune to pick.

Soft notes began to tinkle out from behind him, encouraging a specific one. "Know this one?" Haru asked, tilting her head back slightly.

"Mm," was his reply. The melody sounded familiar, though he wasn't quite sure exactly what it was. As it always seemed to be doing these days, his mind wandered as his gaze fell upon the lovely brunette pianist before him.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

_Taking two steps at a time, I flew up the staircase after Haru. I could hear the prince panicking about where the Cat King had disappeared to, and I knew I had to reach Haru before he did. _

_As I was passing a window, a sword flew from across the way, the tip burying itself deep into the stone. I leaned back, wrapping my hand around the brim of my top hat, and followed the direction the sword had appeared from, where the Cat King was climbing through the opposite window with another sword buckled to his furry waist. "Fight like a cat you chickennnn!" he screamed, his lavender fur standing on end as his mismatched eyes bulged from his skull in opposite directions._

"_With pleasure!" I declared, pulling the sword from the stone. I wasn't risking anything by being here—I was already a cat. And I was tired of this king's insolence, thinking he could propose to Haru like that._

_Muta appeared at my side. "Need help?"_

"_Take care of Haru," I said, looking up at him._

"_You got it." We nodded at each other before he dashed past me and I climbed out the window, still brandishing the weapon the king had been kind enough to bestow upon me. As I had already proved to my brunette client, I was capable of defending myself quite efficiently with my cane, and a sword would only speed up the process._

_The Cat King scrambled through the window and hissed at me. "A duel for the princess," he snarled as I calmly folded up my coat and set it on the ledge._

"_Fair enough," I replied, placing my hat on top of the bundle, along with my cane. "If I win, she returns to her world."_

"_And if_ I_ win, she stays and you and your fat friend beat it."_

"_Agreed."_

_I strode past him, ignoring the glare burning into the back of my head. It didn't faze me, and the duel didn't either; I had confidence in my abilities, and if I had to beat some sense into this arrogant king in order to secure Haru's freedom, I would be sure to enjoy it._

_Grasping the hilt in both hands, I raised the sword high above my head. The king decided to go for a more direct approach—he aimed the thing directly at me._

_On an unspoken count of three, we both ran at each other. Our swords clashed with a loud clang and I leapt into the air, flipped, and landed on my feet with the sword at my side._

_Behind me, I heard a loud crack and the king's horrified shriek. I resisted the urge to grin as the jewel atop his head shattered and fell to the stone ledge we stood on._

_I straightened, bringing my heels together. "I win, King." A gust of wind blew, taking with it the violet fur off his torso and legs and creating a great pile at his feet. I swung the sword slightly, knocking the few clinging hairs off the blade. _

"_I'd heard rumors about a nosy cat figurine that liked to stick his nose in other's problems," the Cat King grumbled behind me. " I figured you were just some kitschy knickknack that had collected dust. Had I known you were_ this _good I would've asked you to come and work for me."_

_Work for him? The thought was laughable. Between working for _him _or the lovely Miss Haru, I would pick the timid female any day. The remark was insulting so I turned to him, a slight smile on my lips. "I prefer a life of sticking my nose in other's problems," I said curtly. _

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

A dreamy smile graced his lips as the notes hovered in the air and his eyes drifted closed. He agreed with Toto; he _was_ a hopeless romantic.

Both musicians were startled out of the reveries they'd sunken into when the sound of loud, excited clapping reached their ears.

Mrs. Yoshioka stood in the doorway, beaming. "That was _amazing_!" she exclaimed, rushing forward. "The piano and the violin complimented each other beautifully! Baron, where on _earth _did you learn to play like that?"

He shrugged modestly. "Self-taught out of boredom," he explained quietly.

The older woman squealed. "You are amazingly talented Baron. What you two just did would put an orchestra to shame."

"_Mom_," Haru groaned as both their faces turned pink.

Her mother, however, remained unfazed. "What was that you played?"

The young woman shrugged. "It was 'Country Roads, but my teacher hasn't exactly instructed me how to play it yet, so I was basically sight-reading. I made tons of mistakes, but Baron's playing masked them for me."

He smiled sheepishly. "I'm not that talented. I tripped along the melody as well."

Mrs. Yoshioka threw up her arms. "Musicians… Oh, Baron?" He inclined his head toward her. "Do you by any chance know the song 'Think of Me' from _The Phantom of the Opera_?"

The bow slid up and down the strings again, drifting up into the higher range before wandering back down. With a photographic memory, the sheets of music he owned of the song hovered behind his eyes as the notes rang out, clear and strong. They floated in the air, soaring along the scales as the women's voices lightly imitated the sound. The song ended with a gentle decrescendo until he finally drifted off into silence.

Both women stared at him before breaking out into enthusiastic clapping, and he ducked his head modestly, his cheeks darkening. When one of them spoke, he lifted his head quizzically and asked the one—Mrs. Yoshioka, as it turned out—to repeat it.

"I asked if you've ever seen the movie, Baron. Have you?"

He shook his head. He was old-fashioned and although he knew television sets and movie theaters existed, he was perfectly content with his many, many books to keep him company. He knew Haru must've known this for she had been in his house before, but she imitated her mother's look of shock so perfectly it was easy to tell the two women were related.

Before he knew it Haru was digging through a cabinet for the video and her mother had disappeared into the kitchen to make them popcorn. She returned as Haru was fast-forwarding through the previews and offered Baron a handful of the lightly buttered snack.

Haru explained it was the 2004 version, starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine. Although it was originally filmed in English, they owned a Japanese-subtitled version. He had no idea what _any_ of that meant, but he nodded as if he understood as the women seated themselves on either side of him.

Not even halfway through the movie, Haru was nodding off and, after exchanging a set of looks with Mrs. Yoshioka, he gently allowed her head to come to rest on his shoulder. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer.

Mrs. Yoshioka glanced over at him. "You like her, don't you?" she whispered, careful not to drown out the music or wake her daughter.

He turned to her abruptly, almost dislodging the sleeping girl on his shoulder. Then he cringed. "Is it really that obvious?" he murmured in return.

The mother nodded, popping another handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Almost painfully, kiddo." He groaned, but she reached over and patted his leg. "No, I understand. Haru's a likeable girl. I'm just glad that the man she chose to drag home was at least an honorable one."

He stared at her, and she shrugged before glancing at the screen. "There are way too many bad, indecent men out there today," she began, "and even though we didn't meet under the best circumstances, I don't believe you're like them." She sighed, biting her lip in a way similar to her daughter. "I've watched you, and you're kind and sweet and patient and gentle with her. You make her laugh and smile for no reason at all, and you treat her with manners and respect in a way that deserves to be admired." Her eyes, almost perfect replicas of Haru's, fell to him again and she smiled. "I don't know anything about you, Baron, but I just have this… this _feeling_ in my gut that you're decent." Her eyes narrowed. "You better hope I'm right, or so help me…"

"No, no, you're right," he assured quickly. "I would never _dream_ of hurting your daughter," then to himself he added, "I'd rather die than do that."

Mrs. Yoshioka stared at him for a long time as the music droned on in the background. "I believe you," she murmured. "I don't know why, but I do. I want to trust you Baron." Slowly she rose and passed him the almost empty popcorn bowl. "I'm going to bed."

"But… Mrs. Yoshioka…"

"Baron." He stopped and looked at her as a smile broke out across her features, features that were reflected in the young woman beside him. "I said I want to trust you, so I'm going to. I like you kiddo, and it's obvious Haru does too. So I'm going to trust my female intuition—it hasn't failed me yet." She turned toward the staircase, waving over her shoulder. "You can stay up and watch the movie. Good night Baron."

"Good night Mrs. Yoshioka. And thank you."

Haru's mother paused for a moment at the bottom of the staircase before proceeding up it, and he was almost positive he heard a soft, feminine chuckle in the relatively quiet room. Sighing, he tilted his head until it was balanced on the top of Haru's head. He had earned the approval of her friends and her mother. Now he had just two days to earn hers.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Do you like it so far? Am I boring you? Remember, although I _adore_ flattery and being told my story is awesome and everything, I appreciate suggestions and criticism too. Just so you know.


	15. Chapter 15

The quiet clinking of dishes and the sizzle of breakfast cooking caused Baron's eyelids to flutter open sleepily and he yawned, arching his back and stretching his arms before flopping back down onto the cushions. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, he glanced down at his chest and saw that Haru was currently using it as a pillow, and she was stirring.

"Good morning," he murmured, smiling gently down at her.

She dragged her head across his chest so she could look him in the eye, returning his lazy smile. "Good morning," she mumbled as he ran his hand lightly over her scalp, brushing the loose, tangled hair from her eyes. Yawning, she slowly lifted herself off him, using his ribs for support, and stretched her arms back. "Did you finish watching the movie?"

"I did. It was very good."

She pushed herself off the couch and stood on wobbly legs, running her fingers through her knotty hair. "What happened to my mom? Did she get bored?"

"Tired, actually. She went to bed somewhere in the middle." She offered him her hand, which he gratefully accepted and she pulled him up. "I think I hear movement in the kitchen."

"Good, I'm starving." He followed her to the kitchen, where Mrs. Yoshioka was busy sipping coffee from a ceramic mug as she looked at the newspaper. Two more places were set on either side of her, complete with cups and crisp toast with lettuce and a still steaming egg on top.

"Morning, sleepyheads," she said, glancing up from her paper to smile at them both as they fell into the chairs beside her. "Enjoy the movie Baron?"

"Very much so, Mrs. Yoshioka," he replied, pouring himself a full cup of the fresh coffee before offering it to Haru. "With a satisfactory, albeit rather sad, ending."

She nodded. "It's a good movie, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

Haru anxiously took turns staring at her mother and Baron. "Did something happen after I fell asleep?" she asked slowly, biting her lip.

Mrs. Yoshioka laughed. "Baron and I just talked, that's all sweetie."

Haru raised her eyebrows, then returned to her rapidly cooling breakfast.

"Any plans for today?" Mrs. Yoshioka asked, turning another page of her paper.

Baron shrugged, but Haru—once she'd swallowed her mouthful of egg and toast—nodded. "My art teacher says I need reference pictures for our next project. I wanted to go to the park down the road and photograph some stuff. You want to come too Baron?"

"The park sounds like fun, and I would enjoy helping you with your assignment."

The older woman nodded. "I was probably going to kick you two out anyway. More room to lay out my quilts, you know," she added when Baron looked at her quizzically.

"Great!" Haru said, clapping her hands together. "We can leave right after breakfast."

He nodded. "Fine with me."

Haru met him in the living room in a blue blouse with a white skirt, the hem edged in lace, and a chain around her neck with a gold butterfly pendant. She carried a silver camera in one hand, using the other to reach up and hug her mother around the neck. Mrs. Yoshioka kissed her on the cheek and smiled at Baron, all the while ushering them out the front door.

The walk to the park took twenty minutes—Haru had understated the distance—and it was much larger than he had expected, complete with a playground, a soccer field, and a cement square with a wishing fountain in the center. Haru explained it was named Paruko no Ume because there was a legend that a princess once stood beneath one of the many plum trees in the park when her lover proposed to her. The location of said tree has been lost through time, but if a couple proclaimed their love for each other beneath the correct one, their love would be eternal. She admitted that the legend made this her favorite park, and he smiled knowingly.

So she was a hopeless romantic too.

Immediately Haru began snapping pictures of everything—trees, flowers, playground equipment, grass, random passersby. When she wanted to take pictures of _him_ he protested, saying he wasn't photogenic.

"You could be a model with that face Baron," she countered, angling her camera again.

"My face won't show up."

"You're not a _vampire_ Baron. Now hold still!"

"Haru!"

"Baron, I just want _one_!" She chased after him as he circled the playground equipment until she finally got a shot of him, laughing, when she tackled him and took a picture while sitting on his legs.

Climbing off of him, she plopped into the grass and began clicking buttons. He rolled to his elbow and tried to regain his breath as she frowned at the camera, then turned to him. "I didn't know you had dimples," she said, a little breathless herself.

"What?"

"Dimples, you have dimples!"

"I do?"

"Didn't you know?"

"Not really. Until now they were covered in fur for, oh I don't know, longer than you've been _alive_." She giggled and he grinned. "Why do you say that?"

Before he could stop her, she had two fingers pressed to his cheeks. "Because they showed up in the picture I took," she explained. "But only when you smile." To underscore her words, he smiled beneath her touch and her fingertips dipped inward. "Like that."

Happy, light music drifted to their ears and before he could even _attempt_ to kiss her again, she had leapt up and was dragging along by the hand again in the direction the sound was coming from.

She led him to the cement square where a quartet comprised of three men and one woman were playing a merry tune for a growing crowd. One man had a violin, another a cello, the third a mandolin, and the woman trilled out many excited, high-pitched notes on her flute. Haru watched the musicians in awe before Baron turned to her and bowed low before her, offering her his hand.

"Would you care to dance, Miss Haru?" he asked politely, peeking up at her through his waves of blonde hair.

Haru turned red. "I don't know… in front of all these people?"

"Just trust me," he murmured.

Pausing to hand her camera over to a woman with a baby stroller standing nearby, instructing her to basically hold the button and take as many pictures as she could, she slid her slender fingers into his hand and let him lead her out in front of the crowd. Placing one hand on her waist, hers gracefully landing on his shoulder, he held her other hand up high as he proceeded to whirl her across the pavement, his eyes never breaking her gaze.

He twirled her around beneath his hand. "Nervous?" he asked gently.

She shook her head as he led her into a dip. "Not even a little."

The cadence sped up and she started laughing as he spun her so fast her clothes began to blur into a blue rivaling the color of the sky, catching her by the waist and lifting her in the air before she could fall down.

Then the music drifted off in a gentle decrescendo and Baron led their feet in a similar pattern until they eventually stopped and were met with a flurry of wild clapping. They bowed dramatically to their crowd, and laughter joined the applause when Haru almost tipped over from being so dizzy.

Glancing at her cell phone after retrieving her camera, Haru informed him it was almost three o'clock. A little while later, they were both holding ice cream cones—his was vanilla, while Haru insisted on chocolate—as he pointed out a bench where they could properly enjoy their treats.

"I'll pay you back as soon as I can," he said in between licks, but Haru just waved her hand dismissively.

"Baron, you saved me from a, and I don't think this is exaggerating, clinically insane Cat King and from being turned into a cat forever. The _least_ I can do is buy you an ice cream cone. If you even _try_ to pay me back, I may have to hurt you." He chuckled as she dug out her camera and flipped through the pictures again. "That lady took, like, sixty pictures of us!" she exclaimed. Baron leaned over her shoulder as she pointed out most of them were blurry and featured one of their backs.

"They aren't very many of you," he said, gesturing at the little camera's screen.

She shrugged. "Oh well. I hate painting me anyway."

"Now, hold on." He raised his eyebrows and frowned. "You insisted you needed photographs of me. I think it's only fair there's at least one good one of you too."

She groaned. "Baron…"

"You forced me. And didn't you just say that you owe me?"

Haru sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine, you can take a picture."

He grinned as she tossed him the camera. "Stand by the tree," he directed, standing up and gesturing at the slender tree behind them. "And if you don't smile prettily, I'll have to take more until you do."

"I'm not photogenic."

"We are not reliving this argument. Now think of my dimples and smile." When he said that, Haru burst into a fit of helpless giggles, but he managed to snap a shot of her when she wasn't moving.

Recalling how Haru had looked through the photographs, he pushed a button and the screen displayed the picture he'd just taken. The image threatened to take his breath away as he admired the beautiful, picturesque girl in her most natural state: happy.

"How'd it turn out?" she asked, stepping up behind him.

He gulped audibly. "You look beautiful," he mumbled. She blushed and looked down, murmuring a quiet 'thanks.'

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

_Haru paused at the bottom of the stairs and placed her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Muta and I stopped fifteen stairs up to look back down at her._

_"Don't worry I'll catch up to you!" she called up to us._

_That plan certainly wouldn't work, considering it was_ she _who needed to get out of here. Muta and I were already cats; Haru was born human._

_I ran back down the stairs and scooped Haru up into my arms then turned and ran back up, vaguely hearing Muta call me a show-off._

_Haru, looking rather bewildered as I carried her up the seemingly endless flights of stairs, protested. "I-I can walk!"_

_"Don't worry," I replied simply, saving my energy for running._

_I was taking the steps two at a time; behind me, Muta was lumbering up on all four paws. And down below, I caught a glimpse of the Cat King and all his servants and soldiers running along the wall, obviously after us. Well, after Haru—it was fairly clear the king would've liked to throw Muta and I out his dining room windows._

_Was someone looking at me? I glanced down at the girl in my arms. She started and turned her head away from me, her cheeks bright red. _

Adorable,_ I thought absently as we continued up the stairs. That was all I had time for at the moment. We still had to reach the top._

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

A rush of emotions blazed through him as he turned to Haru suddenly and grasped her shoulders. He had to tell her. He was going to succeed this time.

"I always thought you were beautiful Haru," he began quickly. "From the moment you first looked through the window of my house to the last moment on top of your school. You looked especially beautiful in the ball gown you wore in the Cat Kingdom, but it doesn't really matter _what_ you wear because you could pull off any outfit."

She stared at him in amazement, but he didn't pause.

"I love every minute we spend together. You are sweet and kind and funny and you make even the simplest and silliest things like running through a park and eating ice cream and cleaning a house fun and I wouldn't trade a single moment we've shared for anything.

"I admire your spirit because you're brave and confident and when you stood up for yourself to the Cat King I was amazed and proud because I knew you could do it and I knew I played a small part in finding yourself. I admire your heart because you confessed you had a crush on me on top of your school even though I wasn't any taller than your knee and I was leaving but you were honest and truthful and I was delighted to see that you were."

He hadn't even paused to take a breath and he was practically shaking her as he leaned closer. "Haru, the truth is that I—"

_Ring! Ring! Riiiiiiinggg!_

"I… I should… I should probably get that," Haru mumbled, ducking her head. He threw his hands up and stomped away from her as she answered the phone. He really, _really_ hated that cell phone.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX_

Sorry for another cliffhanger involving the evil cell phone! Ahhh, don't hurt me!

Oh, and I made up that story about the park. It means, literally, _Park of Plum Blossoms._


	16. Chapter 16

Baron absently swung the umbrella around in circles, ducking his head beneath the archway as he departed from the Refuge, angry caws and hisses going completely over his head.

The night before, he hadn't been able to sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep because he'd been on the verge of telling Haru that he loved her when her cell phone had interrupted him. Again. And after she finished her phone call she wouldn't meet his gaze and whenever he would speak she'd mumble an answer in response, then she ate her dinner in a rush and disappeared into her room. Mrs. Yoshioka had practically pounced on him the minute Haru left the room, but he swore he hadn't tried anything and claimed he didn't know what was wrong.

The weather reflected his mood well: gloomy with a chance of rain. Baron knew several things that contributed to his rather downcast mood: today was his last day, he had yet to actually _kiss_ Haru, and he didn't know if she felt the same way about him as he did her.

Because last night, when he couldn't sleep, he realized that he loved her, he always had, and he always would. There was no getting out of it and frankly, he didn't want to.

He knew that every time she down next to him he felt happier, but he also felt guilty. He was a cat figurine, and tomorrow he would return that state, in between life and inanimate. Although he acknowledged this fact, he didn't know what else to do because sitting alone when he _knew_ he could be with her was agony.

Because he would rather be anywhere than in that house with the two women who looked and acted _way _too similarly, he had returned to the Refuge when Haru had left for her art class for the afternoon and errands after. And, so he wouldn't cause her too much discomfort, he volunteered to find his own way back to her house.

But now as he walked, swinging the umbrella much the way he did his cane, he decided that he couldn't leave loose ends when he left her for good. Even if Haru's crush had faded over the years and she did consider their relationship purely platonic, he decided he had to finish his confession and tell her the truth. No time like the present, right?

An hour later—he took his time—Baron found himself in familiar territory and he followed the pavement to Haru's residence.

Bending to undo the knots in his laces, his eye caught movement in the living room through the parted curtains. Unsure exactly what he was seeing, he leaned closer.

Haru was standing in the living room, a rather serious expression on her face. However, her eyes gave away her true mood as they sparkled in delight. Standing in front of her with his back to the window, was a slender young man with short black hair. As Baron watched, the man took one of her hands in his own and got to one knee before her.

A sharp pain tore at his heart as he watched the man hold up a little cream box and pry open the lid. His heart fairly cracked when Haru nodded. It broke into a million tiny pieces when she threw her arms around his neck in a warm embrace, a bright smile on her lips. The lips he'd almost kissed several times.

The ones he could never kiss now.

He straightened and stumbled away from the window. He didn't want to believe it, but what else was he supposed to do? He had witnessed the entire proposal, from the question to the acceptance. His chest hurt as his grip loosened and the umbrella fell from his hand to clatter to the pavement. Then he turned around and walked away.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Before you all come at me with torches and pitchforks, let me remind you this _is_ a BaronxHaru story. Just saying.


	17. Chapter 17

Haru's POV.

* * *

"Will you marry me?" As he said this, Tsuge pried open the little cream box he'd brought along in his coat pocket, displaying a gold ring with a tiny diamond mounted in little gold brackets.

Haru squealed and nodded yes, and she threw her arms around his neck in a warm embrace.

After a moment he pulled back and grinned at her as he closed the box. "Thanks for letting me practice on you, Haru," he said, straightening.

She waved her hand dismissively. "No problem. I'm sure Hiromi will be thrilled."

"I sure hope so. I've been waiting since high school to do this."

Haru grinned as she hugged him again. "So has she. Good luck."

"Thanks. I'll call you if she says yes."

"Don't be so negative. Call me _when_ she says yes."

Tsuge returned her excited grin as he pulled on his shoes and coat and left. When he was gone, she disappeared into the kitchen and found a yogurt in the fridge, returned to the living room, and sat down to watch a movie.

An hour and a half later, the movie was over. And Baron still hadn't returned.

She was worried. She knew he didn't know his way around Tokyo yet, plus with the weather taking a turn for the worse she didn't want him to get caught in the coming storm.

Biting her lip, she glanced out the window as the first drops of rain plopped onto the asphalt in front of her house. _Where was he?_

After another half hour, she had resorted to pacing the floor. The rain had been light for the first ten minutes, but the level of precipitation was steadily increasing every time she looked at the streaked panes.

"Haru?" Her mother peeked into the room from the kitchen. "Haru, sweetie, is something wrong?"

Haru folded her arms, chewing her lip again. "Baron's not back yet," she mumbled, staring at the door, _willing_ him to walk in any minute now. "He should've been back before the rain started. He _promised _me he could do it if he walked back by himself."

Her mother stepped into the room and wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders. "I'm sure he's fine, dear. He's a big boy, I think he can take care of himself."

"But Mom, he _can't_. He doesn't _know_ Tokyo. What if… what if he got lost? Or robbed? Or kidnapped, or—"

"Haru!"

She turned around in her arms, tears brimming in her eyes as she fought to keep her voice steady. "Oh God, Mom… what if… what if…"

"Haru, you're going to work yourself into a fit." Pressing her daughter's face into her shoulder, she rubbed her back. "I'm sure he's fine."

"I'm going to go out and look for him," she said suddenly, pulling away.

"Haru, it's down pouring!"

"And it _could_ be down pouring on him. I don't care, I'm going out there."

Her mother sighed as she stomped to the closet and pulled out a second umbrella, this one a bright purple. "Wear a raincoat and boots, will you?"

"Yes Mom."

"And if you get sick, it's your fault."

"I know." She doubled back to kiss her on the cheek. "I'll be back later, okay?" Moving to the door, she absently glanced through the pane and saw a triangle of black on the sidewalk. Pressing her face to the glass, she saw the umbrella she had lent to Baron when he said he was going to the Refuge. Why was his umbrella abandoned on her front step? Unless… unless he saw… no, he wouldn't have seen Tsuge… but had he?

Her decision was final, and no threats of rain or sickness would stop her now.

"He better be worth it!" her mother yelled as Haru closed the door, but she didn't hear her. By then she had already taken off down the sidewalk, holding the purple umbrella over her head, her heart pounding with fear and worry.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	18. Chapter 18

Baron sat on the bench and let his head fall back, flinging wet bits of hair behind his head. It had started raining a little while ago, the amount of water falling from the sky increasing with time, and he had returned to the park, though he wasn't sure why. Here was the place he had almost thrown all his feelings off his chest to Haru.

Speaking of Haru, he relieved the moment again and again when that man in her house knelt to one knee and held out the box, Haru throwing her arms around his neck as she nodded. No matter how hard he tried to banish the sight from his thoughts, he couldn't seem to and, like a broken record, it rewound and played again.

How could he have missed it? How could he have not seen that she was in love with someone else? He supposed it didn't really matter; he would have found out eventually and it would have been painful any way she revealed it to him.

Either way, he knew he had lost her.

There was a crackle of static beside him, but he didn't bother raising his head. Gold glitter drifted into his hair and caught on his eyelashes, in seconds washed away with the rain dripping onto his face, and a ball of light illuminated the air next to his head.

"Hey," Belinda said quietly.

Baron closed his eyes. "Hello Belinda," he responded dully.

"Are you okay?"

He shrugged. No point in lying to her. "Not really."

"Did something happen?"

"You could say that."

"You wanna talk about it?"

He sighed, bringing his head forward as she landed on his shoulder. Being less than two feet tall she fit there neatly, her golden wings fluttering in the breeze. "I've lost."

"What do you mean?" she asked, panic tingeing her normally even tone. "How have you lost?"

"I've lost Haru. Even after everything I did or tried to do, I've lost her. We can never be together."

"But... but _why_? What happened, I thought it was going so well!"

"Looks can be deceiving because I watched her become engaged a little while ago."

"_What_?"

"It's too bad," he continued, a rueful smile on his lips. "I love her too. I almost told her, but I was interrupted. Again."

The normally charismatic fairy on his shoulder remained silent.

He tilted his head back up toward the sky, watching the raindrops fall onto his face and break apart, glimmering faintly on his skin. "I know why I wanted to be human, Belinda." She turned to him suddenly, but he continued staring upward. "I wanted to be human because then I would have a chance of winning Haru's heart. As a cat figurine a relationship between the two of us stood no chance, but as a human I could certainly try.

"And the nightmare you were so kind enough to bestow upon me two nights in a row? Don't give me that look, I know you did it because it corresponded much too closely with my heart's desire. The nightmare showed me my worst fear: I was afraid the fact that I was a doll and Haru a human would prevent us from ever being together." He sighed again, his voice shaking a little. "But it doesn't really matter because she's in love with someone else."

"Baron, do you know what this means?"

"My heart is irreparably broken?"

"Um... no."

"I can never be with the love of my life?"

"No..."

"I shall never be able to trust you again?"

"Okay, stop guessing!" she snapped, clapping both her hands to his mouth, which effectively silenced him. "This is probably the greatest thing you could've done! Don't you roll your eyes at me I'm not done! If a person figures out their heart's desire—because, as you know, I don't reveal it—then that person gets a completely limit-free wish! You could wish for _anything you want_ Baron! Think about it! You haven't lost yet!"

"I don't want to win that way."

"So... so what _do_ you want, Baron?"

Shaking his head, the sad, small smile returned to his face. "I want... I want Haru to love me as much as I love her. But I can't wish for that because if I do, it wouldn't be the same. So... so I want Haru... to be happy. I wish for Haru's happiness."

"But... b-but why?" The fairy anxiously wrung her wand in her hands and her lip quivered.

Baron stared down at his lap, thinking hard for a moment, then he lifted his head and ran his fingers through his hair once more. "Imagine," he began, "there is an exquisite sketch you wish to see brought to life with paint, but you know that you would not be able to it justice if you were to try to paint it yourself. You would just make a mess of it. So instead you would step aside and let a true artist render it in paint because even though you wish you the one to paint it, you would ultimately derive more pleasure in watching someone else do it who can give the sketch what it rightly deserves."

Belinda stared at him. He sighed. "I would rather Haru be with someone who can make her happy, let alone someone of the same _species_, than be with me, who can offer her nothing."

"Are... a-a-are you sure? Is t-that what you want?"

"Yes Belinda. If Haru is happy, then I don't want to ruin that for her. I'm happy _for_ her."

Belinda looked away, biting her lower lip to hide the trembling, though in truth he wouldn't have known whether or not she was crying because the rain would've blended with any tears. "Well," she mumbled after a long moment, "I guess... I h-have to go. Grant your wish and a-all."

In another burst of glitter that didn't seem as energetic and flashy as normal, the daffodil-haired fairy disappeared.

Alone with his depressing thoughts once again, Baron leaned back and sighed for perhaps the fifteen millionth time that day. Then it took a turn for the worse when his traitorous mind brought back more of those awful memories from two years ago he wished he could forget.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

"_So these crackers mean that… _you _can marry the prince instead of me!" Prince Lune and his future bride blushed. Haru threw her arms around Yuki's neck, exclaiming, "I'm so happy for you!"_

"_Thank you Haru" Yuki said, returning the embrace before leaning back," and thank you for feeding me when I was a kitten. Without you I might not be alive today."_

_The prince turned to Haru, smiling. "So you're the girl with the fish crackers Yuki told me about, and you're also the one who rescued me when I nearly got myself killed by a truck. We both owe you our lives Haru. What can we do to repay you?"_

_Haru beamed. "You don't have to repay me," she said happily. "I'm just glad things turned out so well. "I guess I did the right thing after all!" The prince, Yuki, and I all joined her in the act as Muta nodded. Then a guttural, slightly maniacal laugh burbled in front of us and the Cat King came up behind his son._

"_This is all very moving. I had no idea you had a bride in mind already," he said, placing his paws on the prince's slender shoulders. "You should've told me." Nodding in fake sympathy, he then turned his attention to my half-cat companion and sent her a toothy grin. "Poor Haru, you must feel like such a _loser_!"_

_Haru shrugged. "Not really."_

"_No, I'm sure you do. So look, I have a great idea. You should marry _me _instead!"_

_Muta looked disgusted, and my genial smile had faded. Behind the king, his assistant gasped in shock._

_The Cat King, obviously proud of his little scheme, clapped his large paws to his waist. "I'll get you some fish too, as a symbol of my undying love and all that. So?"_

_I was surprised Haru could maintain her manners, but she did as well as an air of indifference. Impressive. "That's very generous of you," she said, " but I just want to be myself again."_

_The king sent her another brilliant grin. "I'll change you back, if you marry me."_

_Haru rose suddenly, a disgusted look manifesting itself on her lovely features. "I've had just about enough of you!" she said, her voice rising. "No one decides who I am _but_ me, and there's no way on earth I would _ever_ marry you!" She screamed the last phrase as the Cat King, his lavender standing on end, stumbled backward, yowling._

_The king looked between his two assistants, the gray-haired cat and the floppy-eared one, as they rushed to help him up. "Was that a no?"_

_The grin returned to my face. I _knew_ Haru could do it! I knew if she just believed in herself, if she just had faith, that she could do it. Besides, if _I _were Haru, the Cat King proposing to me would be enough motivation to encourage me to stand up for myself._

_Muta stood and laughed. "So I guess you're not ready to get hitched yet, huh kid?"_

_Haru balled her paws into fists. "Not a chance."_

"_I respect a woman who stands up for herself," he continued, clapping a hand to her shoulder. "Even if she _does_ like to stick her nose in other people's problems."_

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

He knew it was too good to be true anyway.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Poor Baron, right? This chapter makes me sad...


	19. Chapter 19

Haru's POV.

* * *

Haru sprinted through the pounding rain, ignoring the fact that the umbrella and the hood on the back of her coat weren't doing her much good. Where was he? She was running out of places to search; after all, he didn't know his way around Tokyo, so there could only be a few places he would go.

But she had already checked the Crossroads, the art supplies shop, the restaurant they'd eaten at the other night, and he wasn't at any of them. Where in the world _was_ he?

Choking on the rain, she stopped to lean against a tree to regain her breath. What if Baron had gotten lost? What if he had been hurt, or robbed, or kidnapped? What if... what if he was... She couldn't even bring herself to _think_ the word, let alone _say _it. But what if he was?

A brilliant flash of light blinded her suddenly, and she lifted her arm up to block it out, and while that succeeded in shielding it, it did not stop the glitter from showering her in gold.

"Hello," a high-pitched, though oddly sorrowful, voice said, and Haru dusted the glitter out of her hair to see who had addressed her. It was a daffodil-haired, golden-winged woman, a sad frown imprinted on her heart-shaped face, who was less than two feet tall.

"Um... hi?" Haru said nervously, leaning back to press herself further into the tree. "Um... who are you?"

"I'm Belinda," the winged person said. "I'm here to grant you your wish."

"Wait... _Belinda_? As in the fairy who turned Baron Humbert von Gikkingen into a human?"

The fairy looked startled. "You know about that?"

"Well, yeah, of course! He's been staying at my house for a week. He had to give _some_ explanation for suddenly being a human and everything." She narrowed her eyes. "You're not going to turn me into a bird or something, are you?"

The fairy stomped her feet, which looked particularly strange because she was still hovering in the air beside her head. "_No_, I'm not going to turn you into a _bird_! Baron thinks you're engaged and in love with someone else, but he loves you so much he wished for _your_ happiness! He's such a selfless jerk he didn't want to make you fall in love with him even though that's all he wants."

Haru was caught off guard. "He... he loves me?"

"Duh! He's been in love with you for, like, _ever_!"

"Really?" Well, she shouldn't have been surprised; he'd basically told her so yesterday.

_"I always thought you were beautiful Haru, from the moment you first looked through the window of my house to the last moment on top of your school. You looked especially beautiful in the ball gown you wore in the Cat Kingdom, but it doesn't really matter what you wear because you could pull off any outfit."_

He thought she was beautiful…

"_I love every minute we spend together. You are sweet and kind and funny and you make even the simplest and silliest things like running through a park and eating ice cream and cleaning a house fun and I wouldn't trade a single moment we've shared for anything."_

He liked spending time with her, and he wouldn't trade that time for anything…

"_I admire your spirit because you're brave and confident and when you stood up for yourself to the Cat King I was amazed and proud because I knew you could do it and I knew I played a small part in finding yourself. I admire your heart because you confessed you had a crush on me on top of your school even though I wasn't any taller than your knee and I was leaving but you were honest and truthful and I was delighted to see that you were."_

He admired her. _And_ he was proud of her. Her spirit and her heart... but why?

"Haru, the truth is I—"

Love you. He loved her. Baron Humbert von Gikkingen loved her. And you know what? She loved him too.

She loved his kindness, his fearlessness, his honesty, and his selflessness. She loved his sense of humor and how sweet he was, and how ready and willing he was to defend her. She loved his wit, his intelligence, his thoughtfulness, and his cleverness. She loved his bravery, his strength, and the fact that he treated her with respect. She loved that he could make her laugh, cry, scream, blush, and experience a thousand other emotions whenever he was near. She loved him as both a cat and a human, and she'd fallen in love with him long before he showed up on her doorstep.

Looking up at the exasperated fairy, Haru remarked, in all seriousness, "Belinda, the only thing that would _ever _make me happy is Baron."

Belinda's face lit up almost instantly, like a candle that's flickered out and has been relit. "_Really_?" Haru nodded. "Well, come on then!" she cried, wrapping her hand around Haru's umbrella and tugging her in the opposite direction. "I'll lead you to him! _This_ should brighten up his day!"

"You know where he is?" Haru asked, astonished even as the fairy kept pulling on her umbrella.

"How do you think I know he made a second wish? And if we don't hurry up who _knows_ what he'll do!"

"Then by all means, let's go!" Letting the still open umbrella dangle at her side, Haru began to run, her sopping boots slapping the sidewalk as she tailed the fairy constantly flitting ahead and yelling back every five minutes to give a report of how close they were. Haru, far too excited to really pay attention, ignored her.

Eventually Haru began to recognize the scenery as she dashed through a sandbox and past a swingset. "The park…?" she mumbled under her breath.

Belinda appeared beside her head. "Yeah. Don't know why, though. Maybe he got lost."

"Where is he?" she demanded, restraining herself from grabbing the fairy by her wings and shaking her in frustration.

She pointed toward a tree, its branches heavy with rain and pale, drooping blossoms. Beneath its heavy boughs was a wooden bench, a wooden bench she recalled sitting on herself yesterday. On the bench today was a completely drenched man, his dripping blonde hair plastered to his scalp and his head tilted downward as if he was studying his shoes. But Haru recognized him instantly as she began walking toward him, calling out his name as she did:

"Baron!"

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_


	20. Chapter 20

"Baron!" The man the title belonged looked up from studying how the rainwater ran in rivulets over his shoes to see who was calling his name. Of course, as fate would have it, it was the unrequited love of his life in a lavender raincoat and vibrant yellow rain boots. Her hair was plastered to her scalp and her cheekbones, the umbrella at her side providing absolutely zero protection from the downpour. He smiled, though there was no happiness in it, and rose to greet her.

But before he could even say hello, Haru had thrown her arms around his neck, causing him to stumble a little before he regained his footing and she began to speak.

"I was worried _sick_ about you!" she cried into his wet shoulder. "I didn't know where you were and then it started raining and I… I… don't you _ever _run off like that again Baron!" She buried her nose into his sleeve and sniffed. "I don't think my heart could take it."

Shell shocked at this sudden confession, his hands hovered in the air for several awkward moments before he gently touched them to her back to return the embrace. A traitorous sigh almost slipped out of his lips, and he frowned inwardly. How could he enjoy her closeness when he _knew _she was spoken for? He should be ashamed of himself.

Too bad he couldn't find it in him to feel even slightly guilty about it.

After a moment of simply clinging to him and inhaling several deep breaths, Haru pulled back and gazed up into his eyes.

"Belinda told me about your wish," she whispered, reaching up to brush strands of sopping hair off his forehead. "She said you wished for my happiness. Why?"

"I saw you with another man," he murmured in reply, letting his eyes slid shut in an effort to mask the pain it caused him to say it. "He proposed, and you accepted."

There was a hesitation, and he opened his eyes just enough to see her lower lip firmly clutched between her teeth, her own eyes having slid to the ground. "You saw that?" He nodded forlornly. "Did you see who it was who proposed to me?"

"Just that he was a fellow with black hair."

"Um… _that_ was Tsuge."

He turned to her abruptly. "I had no idea _he_ was the one you were seeing. You certainly didn't _act_ like—"

"That's because I'm not. And we're not." She sighed, absently smoothing out the wrinkles in his collar. "Tsuge's planning on proposing to Hiromi, his girlfriend, but he wanted to practice on me first. We're not in love, we're not engaged, and we never were."

_This_ proved to be an interesting twist. "I… I-I thought…" he stammered, struggling to string together coherent sentences.

"Baron," she interjected, "the only person I would _ever _want to get on one knee and propose to me is _you_. I _love _you Baron."

He stared at her, the shock striking him speechless. What was he supposed to say to this sudden declaration of love?

Haru shrugged. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I guess. My crush didn't stay a crush for long once we said goodbye two years ago. I never _dreamed_ you would literally show up on my doorstep, but I'm not complaining."

He was still having difficulty wrapping his head around her confession. "You… you love me?"

She smiled. "With all my heart."

A grin spread across his features as he brought his arms from behind her back and cupped her face in both hands, lightly stroking her cheek with his thumb and watching as her eyelids slid shut, a quiet sigh slipping past her lips. Before she could pull away or a distraction of some sort could appear, he closed his eyes and leaned forward until their lips connected, kissing her with all the passion and love that had been building in his heart since that first moment he saw her through the window. He felt Haru's lips curve into a smile as her arms tightened around his neck, pulling him even closer. Really, could this moment get _any _better?

A loud noise behind him startled them both, and their mouths were jostled apart to identify the sound. Hugging Haru close, he leaned over her shoulder to gaze at Belinda, who was giggling excitedly. "Something funny Belinda?" he asked genially.

The fairy shook her head, beaming a radiant smile at him. "Baron, do you what this means?"

"Haru and I love each other?"

"Well, yes, but no that's not…"

"She isn't really engaged to Tsuge?"

"No..."

"We—"

"_Okay,_ _stop guessing_!" She sighed, shaking her head in exasperation and muttering under her breath about never asking him that again if he was going to be so smart-alecky—he and Haru both grinned at that—and she regained her composure. "Baron, do you remember my spell? The one that made you human?"

He arched an eyebrow but nodded. "'Seven days and true love's kiss will make this transformation complete,' right?" he responded, wondering where this was going.

"Well… you've done it!"

"Done what?"

"True love's kiss!" she cried, hardly able to contain her excitement. "You and Haru love each other, so when you kissed her it made you human! Permanently!"

As her words sunk in, his face began to fall. He was human _permanently_? But… but what about his house back at the Refuge? What about Toto and Muta? Who was going to stop their arguments and clean up their messes? Who was going to feed them and take care of them if he wasn't there? And who was going to be there in case more people needed help, like Haru had? Who was going to run the Cat Bureau if he couldn't even fit into his own house?

Cool fingertips grazing his cheekbone drew his attention down to the young woman in his arms, whose expression was beginning to mimic his own. He forced a smile, hoping she hadn't gotten the idea into her head that he didn't want to be human with her, but when she returned the smile it was genuine, and she tilted her head toward the fairy. "Belinda, I know what I want to wish for," she said, letting her fingers linger on his cheek.

Belinda fluttered over and dug her wand out from a mysterious pocket in her dress. "What?"

Glancing out of the corner of her eye up at his face, she exhaled once and said, "I wish there was a way for Baron to return to his former self any time he wants. And, if there's a way I can switch between cat and human forms too, that'd be a really nice bonus…"

Beaming, she waved her wand nonchalantly. "Done and done. It'll take me a while to work out the kinks in the spell and stuff, but I can do it." She crossed her arms over her chest, painfully smug. "Told you I could do something right Baron."

"That you did Belinda," he responded, grasping Haru's chin in his hand to return her attention to him, and he gazed into her bottomless brown eyes. "That you did." Bending down to her lovely lips again, he felt a purr rumble in his throat, edging into their kiss. After a moment though he had to jerk back and he turned his head away from her, covering his nose and mouth with his hand.

"_Achoo_!"

Haru playfully shook her head, wet strands of hair slapping her in the face. "Your first cold Baron," she said teasingly. "How cute is this? I should get a picture."

He grinned. "I thought we were done taking my picture," he remarked, leaning in to kiss her again.

She pressed her hands to his chest in an effort to dodge his mouth, her face strained as she tried very hard not to giggle. "Eww, you're going to make me sick!" she squealed, ducking her head.

His smile widened. "As a couple, we're obliged to share everything."

"Even colds?"

"Even colds, especially considering this is my first. All the more reason for you to sympathize with me." Her halfhearted attempts crumbled as he kissed her again, and this time there were no interruptions.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Not one of my longest chapters, but... yay, he finally kissed her! _Three_ times, no less! And he's caught a cold because he's been sitting in the rain, completely _drenched_, for way too long. But, because it's Baron, he can make it look good :). Can ya'll suffer with me for one more chapter? It'll be extra sappy and cute...


	21. Chapter 21

An epilogue of sorts.

* * *

Baron turned the page of the book in his lap, his ear twitching slightly out of reflex. Through the open balcony doors, he could hear Muta's rather loud, obnoxious snores as he snoozed on the cobblestones; Toto, thankfully, was not in the immediate area to disturb the obese feline.

His ear twitched again as the sound of rapid, excited footsteps came down the stairs, but before he could look up to greet their owner soft, furry paws were covering his eyes.

"Guess who?" his love murmured.

He smiled. "Hmm, I wonder," he said thoughtfully. "It's not Toto because he has feathers, not fur. It's not Muta because Muta's voice has never been that sweet." He tapped his chin. "Haru?"

The half-cat behind him giggled as she removed her hands so as to press her lips to his cheek in a chaste kiss. "Yep!" she chirped, scurrying around so he could see her. She was garbed in a yellow blouse and a blue polka-dotted skirt, colors that really did amazing things to her beauty. Not that she needed anything to enhance it; she could've worn a paper sack and he _still_ would have found her dazzling. However, his attention was drawn to the large canvas she was cradling to her chest.

"A painting?" he asked curiously, closing the book and setting it on the table beside him.

She smiled mysteriously. "A surprise. Will you call Muta and Toto in? I want them to see too."

Happy to oblige his love's request, he rose to the door and prodded Muta in the gut until he finally stirred. Toto, by this time, had returned and was perched atop his pole, preening.

"Haru wants to show us something," he said simply—being the one with all the food, it didn't take much coercion on his part to get them to follow commands. Toto alighted upon the balcony and poked his head through the doors while Muta grumbled the whole way from the cobblestones to the front door.

"Whatta you want Chicky?" he growled, following Baron inside. "I was sleepin'."

"You are rude as usual, Butterball," Toto muttered, glaring down at the fat feline.

"You wanna take this outside Birdbrain?!" Muta snarled.

"I would be _glad_ to Fatso!"

At the sight of Haru's quivering lip, Baron reached out and whacked his cane against the side of Muta's head. The cat yowled, a huge exaggeration because it was barely a tap against his skull, just enough to get him to pay attention.

"Why am I always the one gettin' hit?" he hissed at the orange and cream cat.

"Because you started it," he stated simply, returning to his armchair. "And because I can't reach Toto," he added thoughtfully, earning one glare fit to kill, several cackles, and Haru's lighthearted grin. "Please continue Haru."

"Okay," said the female half-cat, pausing dramatically. "I've been working on this for several weeks now, and I think it's the best one yet."

"Well go on Haru," Toto said, his eyes glinting, "show us."

Slowly she pulled the canvas away from her chest and spun it around for the three of them to see, and Baron smiled knowingly as he recognized the scene she'd rendered quite spectacularly.

Three months ago Haru had handed her silver digital camera over to a woman so he could take her for a twirl in the cement square of the Paruko no Ume while a quartet of talented musicians played behind them. It was quite a good photograph he had to admit, because it featured both of their faces, imprinted with rather silly grins, as he spun her around under his hand.

Toto whistled softly. "It's quite a likeness of the two of you," he said, cocking his head slightly. "You did such a marvelous job, it could be mistaken for a photo."

She smiled shyly, letting her hair fall forward to conceal her incredibly adorable blush. "Thanks Toto."

"Eh, it looks pretty sappy to me, all lovey-dovey and stuff," Muta said, shrugging and turning to the door.

"You have no taste in fine art," Toto snapped.

"You have no taste in food Worm Breath!"

"Says the fat cat willing to eat out of a garbage can!"

"You know what?!"

Fortunately the walls, windows, and doors were thick enough to keep out the sound of the animals' frequent fights, and Haru sighed a little dismally.

Baron laughed. "I agree with Toto, Haru," he said, "only more so. It's beautiful."

The compliment brought a radiant smile to her face as she set the canvas on top of the rack containing bottles. Then she turned and slipped her paw into his extended hand, letting him bring her closer to climb into his lap. She draped her head on his chest, her tail languidly swinging against his legs, and she sighed as they admired the painting.

"And to think," she began softly, lazily dragging her fingers down his chest, "you almost didn't let Belinda grant you your wish and turn you into a human."

The thought _had _crossed his mind, but he just sighed as he ran his fingers through her long hair. "Let's just focus on the present for now, my dear," he whispered, tilting her chin so he could gently press his lips to hers. After a moment she leaned back and reached her arm up to scratch him just behind his right ear, earning her a low, rumbling purr for her efforts.

She grinned. "Okay."

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

_When I first met Miss Haru Yoshioka, I didn't know what to expect from her. She was a perfectly innocent young lady caught up in the gratuitous gestures of the Kingdom of Cats, a young lady who would turn out to be sweet, kind, and beautiful in her own way. The first time we parted ways, I never expected to see her again. And when I ran away, I didn't expect her to chase after me either. _

_But I'm glad she did._

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Yay, final chapter! Whew, glad I finally got this finished! I really, _really_ hope everyone who read it liked it, and I hope I gave it a sufficient ending.

Very many thanks to all of the people who took the time to review the story and continued to read it after I slacked off considerably. I'd like to thank you all, but I don't feel like typing all those names. You know who you are, that's what counts. Extra special thanks to YarningChick for giving me advice and commenting on every single one of these chapters - it's very time-consuming and I appreciate it so very much.

I have another Cat Returns story in the works (case you're interested) and I promise I'll be much better about updating this time.


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